Characterization of Iranian hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) cultivars using microsatellite markers

Catkins from twenty-three hazelnut accessions were sampled from a collection field at the SPH Horticultural Research Station at Kamal-Abad (Karaj, Iran). The accessions included sixteen cultivars of the Iranian germplasm and seven internationally known cultivars. DNA was amplified using dye fluorescent labeled primers and polymorphism detected using a semi automated ABI-PRISM 377 sequencer. Allele number of loci ranged from 6 to 12, and the heterozygosity level ranged from 0.59 to 0.86. A dendrogram was elaborated that divided the genotypes into three main clusters. The first cluster grouped together nine cultivars, five of which showed identical genetic profiles. The second cluster grouped four Iranian cultivars. The third cluster included the six foreign cultivars and three Iranian accessions. The 'Dobooseh' cultivar was set apart from all the other genotypes in the dendrogram and had several unique alleles. Results showed a good genetic variability within the Iranian germplasm and indicated the possible presence of cases of synonymy that should be further investigated.