Genetic diversity among maize (Zea mays, L.) inbred lines in Eastern Croatia

Background and Purpose: Assessment of the genetic diversity among inbred lines is important for hybrid maize (Zea mays, L.) breeding. There is no published study reporting genetic diversity and relatedness of maize inbred lines at molecular level among elite inbred lines in major maize production area of Eastern Croatia. The objective of the study was to assess genetic diversity among the inbred lines relevant for maize breeding in Eastern Croatia using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Materials and Methods: SSR analysis of 98 markers distributed uniformly throughout the maize genome was performed for two well-known inbred lines B73 and Mo17, as well as for 13 lines developed at Osijek Agricultural cultural Institute. These lilies represent the basic germplasm for maize in Eastern Croatia, which consists of four family groups according to pedigree data. Results and Conclusions: An average of 4.2 alleles per marker was observed with a range from 2 to 8. Expected heterozygosity (allelic diversity) varied from 0.13 to 0.86, with an average of 0.65. Cluster analysis revealed the expected structure within the germplasm, distinguishing conclusively the inbred lines according to their background in two population varieties of Reid Yellow Dent and Lancaster Sure Crop and four subsequent maize families. Inbred lines of Osijek Agricultural Institute were confirmed to be genetically diverse representing a large proportion of the genetic variation occurring in four groups of maize inbred families. This seems to be promising for success in further developments of maize breeding programs.