Estimation of genomic diversity using sequence related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers in a mini core collection of wheat germplasm from Pakistan

Frequent changes in ecosystems and environments through the change of climate have modified the rainfall patterns and seasons. This unpredictability has placed new emphasis on breeding resilient wheat varieties alongside higher yield and better nutritional quality. Use of few successful varieties as parents for breeding new varieties led to the loss of locally adaptive genetic diversity. Therefore, selection and use of diverse genotypes in a breeding program is required to create genetic variability. This study was initiated to study genomic diversity of 50 accessions of wheat at NIAB with an aim to breed new and resilient cultivars of wheat using sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP). SRAP markers divided the germplasm into three main clusters comprising of 21 (Cluster 1), 19 (Cluster 2) and 10 genotypes (Cluster 3) with futher sub-gorups within them. More importantly, out of 10 cultivars developed in Pakistan, 6 fall in same cluster 1 (e.g., TAKBEER, LALMA, KT-335, INQALAB-91, NIA-SUNHARI and GALAXY-13), 1 line (NIA-AMBER in sub-group 2d) falls in cluster 2 and the rest of three lines (FAISALABAD-08 (sub-group 3a), PUNJAB-11 and BENAZIR-12 (both in sub-group 3b) fall in cluster 3. This study also identified a NIAB advanced line NW-1-20 distinctive from the other advanced lines indicating diverse parents in its pedigree. Thus, we found that SRAP markers were helpful in revealing the hidden population structure in a germplasm collection. To add to it, this study will help in selecting diverse parents for future wheat breeding at NIAB.