Taxonomic relationships based on genetic diversity using SSR markers among lentil species (Lens sp.) and cultivars

In this study, the genetic diversity within species and between species was investigated and phylogenetic analyses were performed using 40 cultivated (Lens culinaris subsp. culinaris) and 130 wild lentil genotypes which were collected from different geographic regions of the world. In these analyses, lentil-specific 20 SSR markers were used and polymorphism information content (PIC) value, genetic diversity index value, heterozygosity rate and allele numbers were calculated for each SSR marker. Totally 223 alleles were detected among all loci and 217 of them were polymorphic. The average number of allele per locus was 15.5 and polymorphism information content (PIC) of primers ranged from 0.14 to 0.94 with an average of 0.72. It is determined that allelic variation of markers differed according to species and out of the 20 primers, 13 primers produced some species-specific alleles. The highest transferability rate of lentil-specific SSR markers was detected in Lens culinaris subsp. orientalis (%85.1) and the lowest transferability rate was found in L. nigricans (%31.4). All lentil genotypes were separated into six groups in NeighborNet Planar Graph. It is observed that lentil genotypes which belong to L. culinaris subsp. culinaris and L. culinaris subsp. orientalis were clustered together and other species were clustered separately. According to genetic similarity values, L. orientalis was found as the most related species and L. nigricans was found as the least related species to the cultivated lentil.