Phenotypic variability of spike characteristics and genetic structure of population in the collection of spring barley

Abstract

Domestication, selection and modern breeding narrow the genetic variability of barley, and thus create the need for re-integration of variability as a basis for barley breeding. In this study, 4 barley cultivars and 48 landraces from Serbian gene bank were analysed during two years. Phenotypic variability and genetic structure of the two quantitative spike traits: length and width, and one trait of grain: 1000 grain weight, were analyzed in a population with genotypes of known type of vegetation and spike form. Average spike length ranged from 4,2 to 10,2 cm, spike width 0,65 to 1,27 cm and 1000 grain weight from 27,58 to 51,35 g. Analysis of variance has a significant F value for all sources of variation in all traits. Analysis with 16 SSR markers detected a total of 105 allelic forms. Observing the groups of vegetation type and spike form, diversity of genes was the highest in the spring barley (two-row and six-row forms) and six-row barley (spring and winter types). The results of AMOVA test for spike form showed highly significant values for both sources of variation, while the intergroup component was dominant both for the type of vegetation (91,26 %) and form of the spike (90,83 %). Based on the cluster dendrogram 52 genotypes are classified into three main groups and 11 sub-groups. The results showed there is considerable variability of examined traits in the collection, so it can be used in barley breeding programs.

Keywords

• landraces
• spike related traits
• variability
• SSR markers
• barley