ANALYSIS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY IN SOME PURPLE CARROT GENOTYPES

Abstract

The carrot (Daucus carota L.) is a significant vegetable species that is taxonomically classified within the Apiaceae family. The edible parts of the carrot include its roots and hypocotyl stems, and it exhibits a substantial degree of genetic diversity. Purple carrots are important for health due to their high anthocyanin content and are preferred in the food industry as a natural food colorant. The present study was conducted with the objective of ascertaining the genetic diversity of purple carrot genotypes. Determining genetic diversity is of great importance to achieve successful results in breeding studies. In this context, genetic characterization was performed using 31 purple carrot genotypes in the S4 stage. Following DNA isolation, target regions were amplified by PCR analysis and polymorphic alleles were determined by electrophoresis. The resulting data were then analyzed using the DarWin package program to create a dendrogram, which was employed to determine the genetic relationships between the genotypes.

A total of 62 alleles were detected within the scope of the study, 87% of which were determined as polymorphic. The highest observed levels of polymorphism were identified in the GSSR153 and GSSR152 markers, while genetic similarity rates ranged from 0.07 to 0.57. The analysis results indicated that the genotypes examined were grouped into three main groups and revealed that some genotypes exhibited divergent genetic structures by demonstrating more distant branching patterns compared to others. The Mantel test, utilised within the present study for the purpose of evaluating the reliability of genetic association analyses, returned a value r=0.88, thereby substantiating the validity of the employed methodology.

The obtained data reveal that the genetic diversity is high among purple carrot genotypes, and that this variation includes valuable genotypes that could be used in breeding programs. In particular, the identification of genetically distinct genotypes offers a significant advantage in enhancing the heterosis effect in hybrid breeding programs. The genetic structures detected in the study provide important data for breeding programs such as the protection of purple carrot genetic resources and the development of new varieties.