Abstract

Among the major cucurbit vegetables, Cucumis melo has one of the highest polymorphic fruit types and botanical varieties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the genetic diversity among different genotypes of Snapmelon (Cucumis melo var. Momordica) collected from all the four provinces of Pakistan. In this study, 18 microsatellite markers were tested on Snapmelon germplasm which yielded valuable information about the genetic relationships among 40 Snapmelon accessions. The mean PIC value of the markers ranged from 0.3706 to 0.8247. For establishing data matrix, an auto radiogram was visually scored for the presence (1) or absence (0) of polymorphic bands. Assessments of genetic relationship among the genotypes were done by cluster analysis, using POPgen software. The genetic analysis through principle coordinate analysis (PCA) and dendrogram showed that the wild accessions were distinguished from all domesticated accessions collected from various regions of the country. Genetic differentiation among the populations using molecular data indicated the importance of the study area for species conservation, genetic erosion estimation, and exploitation in breeding programs.

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