Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers to assess genetic diversity and relatedness within strawberry genotypes

The goal of this study was to determine the level of genetic diversity and relatedness among 16 strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) cultivars and 11 breeding lines developed in Canada, using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers. Seventeen primers generated 225 polymorphic ISSR-PCR bands. Cluster analysis by the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) revealed a substantial degree of genetic similarity among the genotypes ranging from 63 to 77% that were in agreement with the principal coordinate (PCO) analysis. Geographical distribution for the place of breeding program explained only 1.4%, of total variation as revealed by analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). The ISSR markers detected a sufficient degree of polymorphism to differentiate among strawberry genotypes, making this technology valuable for cultivar identification and for the more efficient choice of parents in current strawberry breeding programs.