Assessment of genetic diversity of soybean accessions using SSR markers

Abstract

Soybean is a plant species characterized by an extremely narrow genetic base, as a consequence of self-pollination, a long process of domestication and artificial selection. A key phase in maintaining diversity and successful utilization in breeding is the genetic and phenotypic characterization of accessions available in collections. Soybean collection in Maize Research Institute "Zemun Polje" maintains more than 500 accessions from different regions of the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of genetic variation in collection, through the sample of 90 soybean genotypes originated from 15 countries, classified in 5 geographical groups (DOM-Serbia, EUR-European, USA-North American, CAN- Canadian, EXO-China and Japan). Twenty SSR primer pairs were selected for the molecular analysis. To assess the genetic relations among accessions, cluster analysis employing UPGMA method was performed.