Genetic fingerprinting of date palm (Pheonix dactylifera L.) by using ISSR and cpDNA sequences

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is the most important fruit bearing crop in arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa. The knowledge on genetic structure of date palm is limited and understanding of genetic variability within date palms is important for the efficient utilization of the genetic resources in breeding. Therefore, in the present study, genetic analysis of 14 date palm cultivars collected from 28 localities in Iran was performed to provide prospective of genetic variability and population structure. In addition, publically available sequencing data of chloroplast genome available for 47 cultivars was also explored. The results showed a good level of genetic variability among the cultivars. Grouping of the cultivars was not related to their geographical distribution and no correlation was observed between genetic distance and geographical distance of date palms. Population structure analysis revealed the presence of a low degree of common shared alleles between date palms cultivars that indicate probable local adaptation in structuring the genetic content of date palms.