Genetic diversity studies of apricot of trans-Himalaya based on morphological and SARP markers

Forty-seven apricot genotypes were used to assess genetic diversity (GD) based on morphological and SRAP (Sequence-related amplified polymorphism). Six qualitative and 16 quantitative characters were studied among the genotypes. Twenty combinations of SRAP markers were used, and 115 polymorphic bands out of 134 bands were observed. The overall GD estimated, as percentage polymorphic loci (85.06%), Nei’s genetic diversity (0.27±0.19), and Shannon’s information index (0.40±0.25) were high. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed higher GD (92%) within the groups of apricot. The unweighted pair group method (UPGMA) demonstrated that the apricot genotypes had a similarity range from 0.96 to 0.48, with a mean value of 0.72 similarity coefficient. Furthermore, UPGMA clustering and Bayesian-based STRUCTURE analysis revealed an intermixing in the clustering of apricot genotypes. There is no clear grouping between apricots according to their kernel taste and stone colour, which revealed that these genotypes have a similar genetic background. Knowledge gained from the present study has a practical utility in the management of germplasm conservation and breeding programmes.