Genetic Diversity of Source Germplasm of Upland Cotton in China as Determined by SSR Marker Analysis

The genetic diversity of 43 sources of Upland cotton germplasm with different parental origins, breeding periods, and ecological growing areas in China were studied on the basis of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. A total of 130 gene alleles with 80% polymorphism were detected from 36 SSR primers. The number of alleles per primer ranged from two to eight with an average of 3.6. The polymorphism information content (PIC) range was 0.278–0.865, with an average of 0.62. The average genotype diversity index (H') was 1.102, the highest was 2.039 and the lowest was 0.451. The average coefficient of the genetic similarity of SSR markers among source germplasm was 0.610, ranging from 0.409 to 0.865. These indicated that the genetic diversity at the genomic level of the selected source germplasm was rich, and was representative of the diversity of the germplasms, in general. The diversity at the genome level of the base germplasm from the second and third breeding periods was decreased compared to that of the first period, indicating that the cotton genetic background in China became narrow gradually. The diversity of SSR markers among the base germplasm from early maturity cotton growing areas in the north was higher than those from the Huanghe and Yangtze growing areas. The molecular marker genetic similarity index of the domestic varieties was higher than that in the introduced varieties, which indicates that the genetic diversity in domestic cultivars was lower than that in the introduced varieties. This study gives an overview of the genetic diversity of the cotton germplasm base in China, and provides a guide for breeders to develop new cultivars efficiently.