EVALUATION OF GENETIC DIVERSITY IN DAISY SPECIES BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR MARKERS

Abstract

The daisy, a member of the Asteraceae family, represents the most diverse family in both species and genus. Beyond its role as a prized ornamental plant, the daisy holds significance as a medicinal, aromatic herb owing to its active constituents. This study aims to assess the genetic diversity and levels of similarity among 21 daisy genotypes, encompassing 11 distinct species, utilizing morphological and molecular markers. The results of this investigation reveal extensive variability in daisies concerning morphological traits. Moreover, the findings underscore the high variability among daisy species regarding plant growth patterns, leaf characteristics, flower shapes, and flower colors. Genetic diversity was evaluated utilizing Inter-primer binding site (iPBS) markers, a molecular marker system based on retrotransposons. A total of 9 iPBS primers were identified, resulting in a polymorphism rate of 98%, as evidenced by the detection of 99 polymorphic bands. The dimensions of genetic diversity were quantified, revealing similarity indexes among genotypes ranging from 0.41 to 0.83. Through the construction of two and three-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA) graphics aligning with genetic parameters, it was observed that genotypes clustered based on species. This study contributed to the characterization of 11 distinct daisy species. Although this study was conducted in a limited species, it is remarkable that there is a high variation in morphological and genetic characteristics. The sizes of genetic differences and similarities among daisy genotypes of different species were highlighted. The results indicate a broad variation in both morphological and genetic features of daisy species, providing valuable guidance for future research endeavors.