Molecular characterization of olive (Olea europaea L.) genotypes with economic importance in Turkey using SSR markers

In this thesis, it is aimed to determine the differences among olive genotypes by using SSR technique among molecular marker techniques. Olive is classified within the Europaea genus in the Oleaceae family. Olive seedlings obtained from the local seedlings production firms were used for the molecular analysis. For this purpose, the leaf samples of olive genotypes were taken under suitable conditions and the molecular analyzes were carried out at the laboratory of the Agricultural Biotechnology department, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Isparta University of Applied Sciences. As a result of the analyses with SSR markers, two main groups emerged between olive genotypes according to the UPGMA method and they demonstarted 70% similarity. The first main group consisted of 3 sub-groups. While Gemlik, Domat and Kalamata formed the first group, Ayvalık and Bodur arbequıne were in the second sub-group, and Sarı ulak was in the third sub-group. The second main group was divided into 2 sub-groups. While the first sub-group contained Yamalak sarısı and Manzila, the second sub-group had Memecik. The total and specific numbers of alleles were determined as 113 and 44 respectively, and the band sizes ranged from 180 to 297 bp. Polymorphic information content (PBI) changed between 0.515 and 0.83. The results obtained could be used in the characterization of the olive genotypes, in choosing the suitable parents in breeding programs, in the determination of the distibution areas of olive genotypes and in the comparison of genetic collections of olive.