Evaluation of Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Rice Cultivars using Microsatellite Markers linked to iron and zinc

Determine genetic diversity in rice genetic resources is the first step toward the development of rice breeding programs. In this study genetic diversity of fifty cultivars of rice were analyzed using forty microsatellite markers linked to iron and zinc loci. Molecular analysis results showed the number of observed alleles per locus markers with average of 5.27 was varied from 2 to 10. The polymorphic information content values of loci was varied from 0.24 (RM19675) to 0.83 (RM276, RM402), respectively. The average of polymorphic information contents was estimated 0.63. RM276 marker was showed the highest genetic diversity and Shannon Index. Cultivars were classified into two sub-population groups according to analysis of population structure including landraces as first group and improved and foreign cultivars as second group. Based on the analysis of molecular variance, intrapopulation variance was higher than inter-population variance and the minimum and maximum genetic distance was between improved and foreign cultivars and landraces and foreign cultivars, respectively. Based on the cluster analysis, landraces cultivars were separate group than other cultivars. The results of this research could be useful in breeding programs of grain iron and zinc and expanding the genetic bases of rice cultivars.