Assessment of genetic diversity among Acer cappadocicum Gled. Elite genotypes using SSR markers due to seed orchard formation

Introduction and Objective
In the regeneration and expansion of forests, the lack of improved seeds with high genetic diversity has always been one of the most important challenges. To supply replicable seeds and excellent seedlings, seed orchard creation is crucial, providing enough genetic variety for future research.
Material and Methods
The number of 21 maternal trees with suitable phenotypes was identified in two populations in a forest with an approximate area of 100,000 hectares and seeds were collected and transformed into seedlings. The DNA was extracted using a modified CTAB technique, and the polymerase chain reaction was carried out with SSR markers. The amplified markers, genetic indices, the similarity matrix of Jaccard coefficients, and the cluster analysis of 21 chosen trees, were performed using the UPGMA
Results
For 15 SSR markers, 63 polymorphic alleles were identified in 21 selected genotypes. Heterozygosity (H) varied between 0.23 (Dahmian population) and 0.16 (Klejkola population). In addition, these two populations (Dahmian and Kilijkola) showed the highest (1.38) and the lowest (1.08) Shannon coefficient, respectively. The Jaccard genetic similarity between genotypes ranged from 0.001 to 0.52, indicating the low similarity of trees within each of the groups, and these results are used to select maternal trees with less genetic affinity and are placed in separate clades for seeding. The resulting genetic regression is prevented. Based on the similarity matrix between the selected trees, molecular data analysis was performed using NTSYS software.
Conclusion
In this study the genetic diversity of two populations, the molecular markers used were highly efficient in distinguishing maternal trees. The genetic diversity between the two populations was lower than the genetic diversity within both populations. However, the genetic distances were calculated based on the relevant criteria, and considering the similarity coefficient, maternal trees were placed in three main clades. trees with high similarity such as KilijKala 3, 7, and 5, as well as Dehmian 9 and Kilij Kala 7 were observed. Finally, the information obtained from this research was used to manage the seedlings planted in the seed garden and the planting distances of the seedlings.