Assessment of Genetic Diversity and Relationships among Gypsophila and Silene Species from Türkiye based on SRAP Markers

Gypsophila is a member of the Caryophyllaceae family and its genus consists of approximately 150 species. Several species are grown commercially, including herbal medicine and food. Its most common use is as a cut flower worldwide. Gypsophila species are native and widely distributed in T & uuml;rkiye, the main genetic resource center. In this study, Gypsophila L. genotypes were first collected from native areas in T & uuml;rkiye. Secondly, genetic diversity using molecular markers provided valuable information for breeding programs and strategies of germplasm conservation. Sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) as a molecular marker was used to determine diversity and relationships among 41 Gypsophila (Caryophyllaceae) genotypes including 13 species paniculata and G. aucheri) and two Silene types (S. vulgaris L. and Silene spp.) as outgroups. Results revealed that twenty primer combinations produced 153 scorable fragments, and all markers showed 100% polymorphism for 43 genotypes. The cophenetic correlation (r = 0.80) between the Dice similarity matrix and the corresponding dendrogram obtained by the SRAP marker revealed good compliance. The Gypsophila and Silene species were grouped according to subspecies and by region. Results indicated that SRAP markers were useful for investigating diversity and relationships among Gypsophila L. germplasm. varieties in the breeding program.