Genetic diversity of Qatari date palm using SSR markers.

The genetic diversity in the date palm germplasm of 59 female accessions representing 12 cultivars from different locations in Qatar was investigated using 14 loci of simple-sequence repeat (SSR) primers. A total of 94 alleles, with a mean of 6.7 alleles per locus, were scored. The number of alleles per locus varied from 3 (primer mPdCIR090) to 11 (primers mPdCIR010 and mPdCIR015). The amplified SSR band sizes ranged from 104 to 330 bp. The mean gene diversity was 0.66 and ranged from 0.39 (locus mPdCIRO93) to 0.86 (locus mPdCIR015), indicating that the Qatari date palm collection has a high degree of genetic diversity. The heterozygosity ranged from 0 (marker mPdCIR090) to 98% (marker mPdCIR010). Forty-four percent of the variability is explained at the inter-population level, while 56% of the variability is maintained within individuals. However, the loci mPdCIR044, mPdCIR057, mPdCIR090, and mPdCIR093 revealed that the total gene diversity is explained at the inter-population level. The Qatari populations Khalas, Shishi, Barhi, Hillali, Khnaizi, Gar, and Jabri showed significant differentiation compared to all other populations. The average fixation index was 0.24814, showing that about 24.81% of the genetic variation was present among populations, which correlated with analysis of molecular variance.