Microsatellites Diversity and Relationship Among in the Genus Lens

In this study, the genetic diversity within and among species was investigated and phylogenetic analyses were performed using 40 cultivated (Lens culinaris subsp. culinaris) and 130 wild lentil genotypes, which were collected from different geographic regions of the world. Twenty lentil-specific SSR markers were used and polymorphism information content (PIC) value, genetic diversity index value, heterozygosity rate and allele numbers were calculated for each SSR marker. Totally 223 alleles were detected and 217 of them were polymorphic. The average number of allele per locus was 15.5 and polymorphism information content (PIC) of primers ranged from 0.14 to 0.94 with an average of 0.72.  Thirteen SSR primers produced some species-specific alleles. All lentil genotypes were separated into six groups in NeighborNet Planar Graph. It was obvious from the  NeighborNet Planar Graph that lentil genotypes belonging to L. culinaris subsp. culinaris and L. culinaris subsp. orientalis were clustered together whereas rest of the species were clustered separately. According to genetic similarity values, L. orientalis was found as the most related species and L. nigricans was found as the most distinct species with the cultivated lentil.