Genetic Characterization of Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) Varieties and Populations Using Microsatellite Markers

The sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.), which is widely grown in our country especially in the Central and Eastern Anatolian regions, is used for animal feed, improving the structure of soil and nectar source for bees. In this study, genetic structure of two cultivars (Ozerbey and Lutfubey) and three populations (Pleven, Kirsehir-1 and Kirsehir-2) were investigated using 10 SSR loci. All of the SSR loci used in the study were polymorphic. A total of 68 alleles were identified in 91 samples analyzed. Genetic diversity parameters such as; mean number of alleles per locus (Na=1.365), effective allele number (Ne=1.348), Shannon information index (1=0.322), Nei's genetic diversity level (h=0.210), and Nei's unbiased genetic diversity level (uh=0.222) were calculated. It was observed that the genetic diversity of the populations was mainly due to within population variation (92%) and the remaining portion was due to variation between populations (8%). According to the UPGMA dendrogram obtained from the study, Ozerbey and Lutfubey occurred in one cluster, Pleven and Kirsehir-2 populations occurred in the second cluster. The results obtained from this study provided important information on the genetic structure of the studied sainfoin populations.