Evaluation of Genetic Diversity in Fig Accessions Using Microsatellites Markers

The fig (Ficus carica L.) is a fruit of great importance worldwide. Its propagation is basically by stem cuttings, a procedure that favors the occurrence of synonymy among specimens. Thus, molecular markers become an important tool for studies of DNA fingerprinting, germplasm characterization and genetic diversity evaluation in plant species. Therefore, the aim of this study was the analysis of genetic diversity among accessions of fig and the detection of synonyms occurrence among samples using molecular markers. For that, five microsatellite markers previously reported as polymorphic to fig were used to characterize 11 fig cultivars maintained in the germplasm bank located in Lavras, Minas Gerais. A total of 21 polymorphic DNA fragments were amplified with average of 4.2 alleles per locus. The average allelic diversity and the polymorphic information content were 0.6300 and 0.5644, respectively, while the total value for the probability of identity was 1.45x10^-4. The study allowed the identification of 10 different genotypes and two synonym individuals. The Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) did not show any defined clusters, despite the formation of some groups according to geographical origin. However, the Neighbor Joining analysis identified the same case of synonymy previously detected by the PCoA analysis. The data also indicates that the fig cultivars analyzed constitute a population with broad range of genetic variation, containing individuals with high genetic diversity. The authors thank FAPEMIG, CAPES, CNPq, and FINEP by funding this research.