Genetic Diversity Study in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Discovered by Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) Markers
Krunal Baria *
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Anand Agricultural University, Anand-388 110, Gujarat, India.
R. R. Acharya
Main Vegetable Research Station, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, 388 110, Gujarat, India.
Hemali Pandya
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari-396 450, Gujarat, India.
Rajeshvari Rathava
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, 388 110, Gujarat, India.
Kamlesh Chaudhary
Department of Plant Physiology, Anand Agricultural University, Anand-388 110, Gujarat, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a globally important vegetable crop and enhancing its genetic diversity is critical for developing improved cultivars. This study evaluated the genetic diversity among eight tomato genotypes DVRT 2, IIHR 335, ATL 17-06, GAT 5, GAT 8, ATL 18-04, NTL 12-02 and GP 11 using 15 polymorphic Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers out of 47 screened. A total of 87 alleles were detected, with an average of 6.00 alleles per locus, indicating substantial polymorphism. Major allele frequency ranged from 0.062 to 0.167, averaging 0.135, suggesting balanced allele distribution. The PIC values ranging from 0.501 to 0.845 demonstrated high genetic variability. Particularly, SSR287, SSR598 and TES856 were identified as highly informative markers with PIC values above 0.8. Cluster analysis grouped the genotypes into three main clusters, with genetic distances ranging from 0.67 to 1.00. DVRT 2 exhibited the highest divergence (1.00). The findings underscore a wide genetic base among the genotypes, offering valuable insights for future breeding programs aimed at improving yield potential, stress resilience and nutritional quality in tomato.
Keywords: Tomato, markers, diversity, alleles, PIC, clusters