Genetic diversity and structural variation among tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) grass genotypes using morphological and molecular markers

Considering the potential forage value of tall fescue grass in Indian Himalayan region, the present research was aimed to study the genetic diversity of 36 tall fescue genotypes using morphological and molecular markers. Analysis of variance revealed significant difference among the genotypes. PCA divided the tall fescue genotypes into three distinct groups, explained 76.43% of the total variation. Remarkably both RAPD and SSR revealed high polymorphism, while it was higher for EST-SSR (89.78%) than RAPD (85.13%). Polymorphism information content (PIC) for RAPDs ranged from 0.37 (OPE 20) to 0.50 (OPB 6 and OPD 14); while for EST-SSRs, PIC values ranged from 0.32 (NFA113) to 0.50 (NFA001, NFA036, NFA045). In neighbour-joining tree using RAPD and SSR, 4 and 5 clusters were clearly distinct, indicating the genetic differentiation among the tall fescue genotypes. Use of morphological and molecular markers for the characterization of Himalayan tall fescue grass revealed that these markers may be used for the identification and classification of 36 diverse genotypes and may also be considered for their wider application as it will avoid repetition of genetically similar genotypes in hybridisation breeding programme.