Genetic variation within and among some broomrape populations of different geographical origin

Abstract

Knowledge of the genetic variation and their evolutionary basis in Orobanche cumana Wallr. populations are essential for establishment of the risks of new physiological races emergence of this devastating sunflower parasite. In the current study, the genetic diversity of 33 broomrape populations from 6 countries (Republic of Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey and China) was analyzed, using two molecular marker systems (SSR and ISSR). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) at different hierarchical levels (within populations, between populations and between groups of populations - countries, races) revealed a high genetic variation among populations, when no population structure was considered (i), an approximately equal partitioning of total variance among countries, populations and within populations (ii) and a low genetic variance attributed to divergence between races (iii).