Phenological Differences, Genetic Diversity, and Population Structure of Genotypes Obtained from Seeds of Kaman-1 Walnut Cultivar

Abstract

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) is a diploid (2n = 32), deciduous, monoecious, and generally open-pollinated tree with nuts of high nutrient content. In this study, the phenological differences, genetic diversity, and population structure of Kaman-1 and its 79 progenies obtained by open pollination were characterized by ISSR primers and some important phenological traits. As a result of the phenological observations, it was determined that the progenies differ significantly from Kaman-1. Besides, using ISSR primers, walnut genotypes were found to have genetic similarities ranging from 0.52 to 0.99. UPGMA cluster analysis showed that accessions from 2 different groups were classified, and population structure analysis confirmed this finding. Based on the results, a significant variation both phenologically and genetically was found within the walnut accessions. Also, this study confirmed that the progenies obtained from the Kaman-1 walnut cultivar have a quite wide variation and that ISSR primers and phenological traits are an important tool in determining genetic diversity.