Genetic diversity in cultivated gene pool of indian barley (Hordeum vulgare L.): An analysis using SSR markers

Genetic diversity in the released varieties and registered germplasm of Indian barley was assessed using Simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. Twenty five SSR markers representing all the seven barley chromosomes were used to study genetic diversity in 88 barley germplasm lines. The average PIC of these SSR markers was 0.40 and the average number of alleles amplified by these markers was 3.4 with a maximum of 5 alleles and a minimum of 2 alleles Average genetic diversity among the germplasm accessions was 0.45, ranging from as low as 0.05 to as high as 0.91. Results indicated that these barley germplasm accessions were quite diverse in nature. Cluster analysis revealed that the majority of varieties originating from one centre clustered together, which pointed to the use of narrow genetic base for varietal development.