Morphological and molecular characterization of some Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotypes collected from Erzincan Province of Turkey.

BACKGROUND

Turkey is a country with different geographical features and therefore it is extremely diverse in plant diversity. Tomato is one of the most important vegetables produced both in the world and in Turkey. In this study, it was aimed to determine the genetic diversity of 24 tomato genotypes collected from local farmers from "Center villages" and "Üzümlü" district in Erzincan province.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Morphological (qualitative and quantitative) and ISSR(Inter Simple Sequence Repeat)were used to determine genetic diversity among genotypes. Contribution rates of morphological properties to the first three main components differed. Genotype 24 was found to be higher than other genotypes with important quantitative morphological features such as fruit length, fruit width, fruit weight and soluble solid content (SSC). Considering the overall morphological traits, a wide variation was detected between genotypes. Genotypes were divided into 2 main groups according to the evaluation with molecular markers. According to the molecular findings obtained. The polymorphism rate ranged from 0 to 100% and the average polymorphism rate was calculated as 80%.

CONCLUSIONS

Present findings revealed the diversity in tomato genotypes collected from Erzincan province and may constitute the bases for further breeding studies in tomato and will bring an integrity in tomato identification studies.