Genetic Diversity and Differentiation of Secale strictum Accessions Based on Phenotypic Traits and Seed Storage Protein Profiles

The genetic diversity of nine wild secale strictum accessions was studied using seed storage protein profiles and phenotypic traits. offsprings and phenotypically superior offsprings of the nine wild accessions were also evaluated and compared with their parental accessions to assess their genetic variability based on seed storage proteins and seed germination parameters. high genetic variation was observed for both seed storage protein profiles and phenotypic traits. the protein banding data were investigated in relation to phenotypic traits and indicated no influence of polymorphic bands on quantitative traits. seeds of superior offsprings showed less genetic variability than both wild and offsprings of s. strictum accessions suggesting that more intensive breeding practices may have resulted in a further erosion of genetic variability. neighbor-joining cluster analysis showed that wild populations, offspring and phenotypically superior offspring accessions were separated into three groups. this suggests that founder effects and subsequent selection have had more effect on the genetic differentiation among these accessions than geographical separation. the results demonstrated that the study of genetic diversity and differentiation between the parents and their offspring using seed storage protein profiles provides important information for the breeding and conservation of s. strictum germplasm.