Determination of Population Structure of Wheat Core Collection for Association Mapping

Abstract

The microsatellites, as one of the most robust markers for identification of wheat varieties, were used for assessment of genetic diversity and population structure to promote effective use of genetic resources. In this study, the set of 284 wheat varieties were genotyped using 30 microsatellite markers. The chosen SSR markers were located among almost all linkage groups and covered all three genomes. The genotypes used originate from 24 different breeding centers worldwide and are included in an extensive core collection of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops in Novi Sad, Serbia. The total number of detected alleles was 349 at all analyzed loci. The average number of detected allelic variant per locus was 11.5. The mean value of polymorphic information content was 0.68. According to the probability of data obtained by program Structure, the results have shown presence of 6 subpopulations within the studied set of genotypes. The population structure positively correlated to some extent with geographic origin. The available pedigree data were included for additional explanation of population structure. The results of this study should provide valuable information for future association studies using the diverse wheat breeding material.