Molecular and morpholojical characterisation of maize inbred lines

ABSTRACT MSc. Thesis MOLECULAR AND MORPHOLOJICAL CHARACTERISATION OF MAIZE INBRED LINES Abdurrahman Eşref ÖZBEY Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences Department of Field Crops Supervisor : Prof. Dr. Kayıhan Z. KORKUT The 30 inbred maize lines, which were improved by the Sakarya Maize Research Institute, were identified as morphological and molecular. 34 morphological characters (UPOV) were studied and the lines were divided into three groups as a result of clustering analysis.According to the principal component analysis, it was observed that 18 characters would be sufficient to explain the population instead of the 34 characters. Molecular analysis studies were performed with 25 SSR markers. The total number of alleles was 121, the average allel number was 4.84, and the allele number varied between 2 and 7. The polymorphism information content (PIC) was calculated as 0.59 and ranged between 0.15 and 0.78. As a result of molecular analysis, it was seen that the lines were divided into four groups. The similarity coefficients between the lines varied between 0.08 and 0.78. There isn't any significant link between morphological and molecular data. When both dendograms are examined, many lines are distributed under different groups. The data obtained with this study will contribute to more efficient hybrid combinations. The lines to be used in hybrid combinations should be evaluated not only morphologically but also with molecular methods which are used extensively today. Keywords : Maize, inbred line, SSR, UPOV, principal component analysis