基于SSR标记的谷子遗传多样性研究

用21个分布在谷子9条染色体上的SSR标记,对120份来自于核心种质的谷子材料进行遗传多样性研究。21个标记共检查出305个等位变异,各标记检测出的等位变异数在3～26个之间,平均每个位点检测出的等位变异数为14.5个;21个位点的平均多态信息量(PIC)为0.809。基于21个SSR标记的分子鉴定,计算了120份材料间的遗传相似系数,其变化范围为0.8393～0.9672,平均值为0.8906。根据计算的遗传距离,对120份谷子材料进行UPGMA聚类,在遗传相似系数0.8865处这些材料被划分为4个类群,分类结果与这些谷子来源地生态类型总体上表现一致,分别为西北内陆类群、黄土高原内蒙古高原类群、华北平原类群以及华北平原近年育成种类群。     

Worldwide core collections of tea (Camellia sinensis) based on SSR markers

Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) is the world’s most popular beverage crop. However, to date, no core collection has been selected from worldwide germplasm resources on the basis of genotype data. In this study, we analyzed 788 tea germplasm accessions using 23 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Our population structure analysis divided the germplasms into a Japanese group and an exotic group. The latter could be divided into var. sinensis and var. assamica. The genetic diversity was higher in germplasms from China, Taiwan, India, and Sri Lanka than in those from other countries, and low in germplasms from Japan. Using the number of SSR alleles as a measure of genetic diversity, we developed a core collection consisting of 192 accessions and three subcore collections with 96, 48, and 24 accessions. Although the results might be affected by marker-selection bias, the core 192 collection adequately covered the range of variation of the 788 accessions in floral morphology, and the chemical composition of first-flush leaves. These collections will be powerful tools for breeding and genetic research in tea.     

Study of genetic diversity and relationships among accessions of foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.] in Korea, China, and Pakistan using SSR markers

In this study, 28 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer sets were used to analyze the genetic diversity, population structure, and genetic relationships among 37 accessions of foxtail millet from Korea, China and Pakistan. A total of 298 alleles were detected with an average allele number of 10.6 per locus among 37 foxtail millet accessions. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 (b226) to 20 (b236). Of the 298 alleles, 138 alleles (46.3%) were rare (frequency < 0.05), 152 alleles (51.0%) were detected at an intermediate frequency (range, 0.05?C0.50), and eight alleles (2.7%) were abundant (frequency > 0.50), respectively. The average gene diversity values were 0.652, 0.692, and 0.491 and polymorphic information content values were 0.621, 0.653, and 0.438, for accessions from Korea, China, and Pakistan, respectively. The accessions from China showed higher SSR diversity than those from Korea and Pakistan. A phylogenetic tree constructed using the un-weighted pair group methods with arithmetic mean algorithm revealed three major groups of accessions that were not congruent with geographical distribution patterns with a few exceptions. The lack of correlation between the accession clusters and their geographic location indicates that the diffusion of foxtail millet from China to Korea might have occurred through multiple routes. Our results provide support for the origin and diffusion route of foxtail millet in East Asia. This SSR-based assessment of genetic diversity, genetic relationships, and population structure among genetic resources of foxtail millet landraces will be valuable to foxtail millet breeding and genetic conservation programs in Korea.     

Development and use of novel SSR markers for molecular genetic diversity in Italian millet (Setaria italica L.)

Italian millet is a commercially important grain crop. Nineteen polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, developed through construction of an SSR-enriched library from genomic DNA of Italian millet (Setaria italica L., P. Beauv.), were used for assessment of molecular genetic diversity against 40 accessions of S. italica. In total, 85 alleles were detected, with an average of 4.5 alleles per locus. The average gene diversity and polymorphism information content (PIC) values were 0.412 and 0.376, ranging from 0.02 to 0.88 and from 0.02 to 0.87, respectively. Values for observed (H _O) and expected (H _E) heterozygosities ranged from 0 to 0.73 and from 0.03 to 0.89, respectively. Nine loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The mean similarity coefficient among accessions was 0.6593. Based on the UPGMA algorithm, six different groups were successfully identified. In this clustering analysis, all Korean accessions grouped in one cluster, indicating that Korean accessions are genetically quite distinct from other introduced accessions. These newly developed microsatellite markers should be very useful tools for several genetic studies, including an assessment of diversity and population structure in Italian millet.     

Analysis of molecular genetic diversity in a representative collection of foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.] from different agro-ecological regions of India

Foxtail millet [Setaria italica (L.) P. Beauv.], an important crop of East Asia is known for its drought tolerance and was once an indispensible crop of vast rainfed areas in semi-arid regions in India. In India it is cultivated in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and north eastern states. The grain finds use in several local recipes such as roti (bread), jaula, singal, sirol. Foxtail millet grain contains 12.3 % protein, 4.7 % fat, 60.6 % carbohydrates, and 3.2 % ash. The present study was conducted to analyse the genetic diversity among foxtail accessions from different states of India and a few exotic accessions using RAPD and ISSR techniques and identify diverse accessions for use in variety improvement programmes. A set of 125 foxtail millet accessions selected from 11 different agro-ecological regions of India were analyzed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker techniques. A total of 146 (115 RAPD and 31 ISSR) scoreable markers were generated with 16 RAPD and four ISSR primers. The dendrogram generated using Nei’s genetic distances and principal component analyses revealed presence of two clusters and two subclusters in group I. The accessions from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand were more diverse since they were distributed in both the clusters. There was no clear geographical differentiation observable. The bootstrap support for the major groups identified was strong (above 80 %) indicating good statistical support. The average value of Nei and Li’s genetic distance was lowest (0.081) for accessions from West Bengal while the collections from Karnataka showed highest dissimilarity (average genetic distance = 0.239). The average genetic distance for all 125 accessions together was 0.177 indicating presence of only moderate genetic diversity in the collections. The analysis of molecular variance indicated that only 2.76 % variation was explained by variations among the groups and 11.55 % among populations within groups. However the percentage of variation observed within populations was high (85.68). The value of Fst was observed to be very low (0.028) indicating low differentiation of the accessions analysed. The population genetic analysis carried out indicates that highest number of alleles per locus (1.745 ± 0.438) was observed for Andhra Pradesh with 35 accessions. When four eco-geographic regions were considered, the southern region comprising AP, Karnataka and TN showed the highest number of alleles per locus (1.787 ± 0.411). The value of Gst was lowest for south (0.123) and highest for central west (0.455). This indicated that all the landraces from south share common alleles. The gene flow between the accessions from different regions was also observed to be high with the highest migration (3.557) recorded for south.     

Mapping quantitative trait loci for important agronomic traits in finger millet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eleusine coracana</Emphasis>) mini core collection with genomic and genic SSR markers

Allele identification for agro-morphological traits and stress resistance is a major concern across the globe for improving productivity of finger millet. Here, we used 46 genomic and 58 genic simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers in a set of 66 accessions used to constitute a global mini-core collection for analysing their genetic structure as a population and establishing association among markers and twenty morphological traits including resistance to finger blast. Phenotypic data revealed a wide range of variation for all traits except flag leaf width and flag leaf sheath width. We got amplification of 81 alleles by the 31 genomic SSRs at an average of 2.61 alleles per locus. Polymorphism information content (PIC) values varied from 0.21 to 0.75 and average gene diversity was 0.49. Structure analysis of the population using the genomic SSR data divided the accessions into two clusters where Indian and exotic accessions were grouped in separate clusters. Genic SSRs which were associated with blast resistance genes, amplified 36 alleles at an average of 2 alleles per locus. PIC values ranged from 0.32 to 0.37 and average gene diversity was 0.45. Population structure analysis using data from these SSRs grouped the accessions into three clusters, which broadly correspond to their reaction to blast disease. Twenty-two significant associations were found using the GLM approach for 20 agro-morphological traits both in 2012 and 2014, while, 7 and 5 significant marker-trait associations were identified using MLM in 2012 and 2014 respectively. The SSR markers FMBLEST35 and FMBLEST36 designed from the Pi21 gene sequence of rice were found to be associated with blast disease resistance in finger millet indicating that the gene homologues play a significant role in an important role for neck blast resistance.     

Molecular characterization and genetic diversity analysis of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) germplasm accessions in India

Molecular characterization and genetic diversity among 82 soybean accessions was carried out by using 44 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Of the 44 SSR markers used, 40 markers were found polymorphic among 82 soybean accessions. These 40 polymorphic markers produced a total of 119 alleles, of which five were unique alleles and four alleles were rare. The allele number for each SSR locus varied between two to four with an average of 2.97 alleles per marker. Polymorphic information content values of SSRs ranged from 0.101 to 0.742 with an average of 0.477. Jaccard’s similarity coefficient was employed to study the molecular diversity of 82 soybean accessions. The pairwise genetic similarity among 82 soybean accessions varied from 0.28 to 0.90. The dendrogram constructed based on genetic similarities among 82 soybean accessions identified three major clusters. The majority of genotypes including four improved cultivars were grouped in a single subcluster IIIa of cluster III, indicating high genetic resemblance among soybean germplasm collection in India.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12298-014-0266-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Neutral and functional marker based genetic diversity in kodo millet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Paspalum scrobiculatum</Emphasis> L.)

Kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.) is known for its high nutritive value, dietary fiber, antioxidant activity, as well as for drought tolerance. It is primarily grown as a grain in India and in Africa it is either cultivated or harvested in wild. Neutral—ISSR (inter simple sequence repeat) as well as functional—SCoT (start codon targeted) and SRAP (sequence-related amplified polymorphism) markers were employed for genetic diversity studies in 96 accessions of kodo millet collected from diverse regions of India. The genetic diversity parameters like average bands per primer, Polymorphic information content, Nei’s gene diversity and Shannon’s information index of 11.22, 9.69; 0.12, 0.11; 0.15 ± 0.14, 0.13 ± 0.13 and 0.26 ± 0.21, 0.22 ± 0.19 was observed with neutral and functional markers respectively. Neutral markers were showing higher values as compared to functional markers for the genetic diversity parameters as discussed. Structure based analysis placed all the accessions into four sub-groups not strictly according to their geographical locations. The accessions from Bihar followed by Karnataka were showing high diversity based on both the marker systems useful for designing exploration, conservation and germplasm enrichment strategies. Further, the set of diverse accessions selected based on these markers would serve as potential sources of unique alleles and may be exploited in future for enhancement and utilization of kodo millet germplasm. Usage of African gene pool and wild species for broadening the genetic base of Indian kodo millet was also suggested based on the present studies.     

利用SSR分子标记检测黄淮夏大豆(Glycine max)初选核心样本的代表性

作物核心种质是用最小的样本代表其全部遗传资源的最大遗传多样性。为了检测大豆初选核心样本取样的代表性,本研究从黄淮夏大豆初选核心样本中,随机选取两个类群,其材料数分别为20份和14份;从保留种质的相应奥群中,分别随机选取6份和5份,共计45份材料,进行14个农艺性状和20对SSR引物的分析。对两组材料进行农艺性状聚类．保菌种质与初选核心种质聚在了一起;利用SSR分子标记数据聚类,也得到了相同的结果。初选核心样本两个类群材料的等位变异数分别为129个,136个;保留种质相应类群材料的等位变异分别为76个,71个;初选核心种质两个类群材料分别包合了整个资源86.00％和86．62％的遗传多样性。本研究为大豆核心种质构建及检测提供分子水平的依据。     

Assessment of genetic diversity within and between pearl millet landraces

A minimum core subset of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.], which comprised 504 landrace accessions, was recently established from the global pearl millet germplasm collection of ICRISAT. The accessions for this core were selected by a random proportional sampling strategy following stratification of the entire landrace collection (about 16,000 accessions) according to their geographic origin and morpho-agronomic traits. In this study RFLP probes were used to quantify the genetic diversity within and between landrace accessions of this minimum core using a subset comprising ten accessions of Indian origin. Twenty five plants per accession were assayed with EcoRI, EcoRV, HindIII and DraI restriction enzymes, and 16 highly polymorphic RFLP probes, nine associated with a quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for downy mildew resistance, and five associated with a QTL for drought tolerance. A total of 51 alleles were detected using 16 different probe-enzyme combinations. The partitioning of variance components based on the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) for diversity analysis revealed high within-accession variability (30.9%), but the variability between accessions was significantly higher (69.1%) than that within the accessions. A dendrogram based on the dissimilarity matrix obtained using Ward's algorithm further delineated the 250 plants into ten major clusters, each comprised of plants from a single accession (with the exception of two single plants). A similar result was found in an earlier study using morpho-agronomic traits and geographic origin. This study demonstrated the utility of RFLP markers in detecting polymorphism and estimating genetic diversity in a highly cross-pollinated species such as pearl millet. When less-tedious marker systems are available, this method could be further extended to assess the genetic diversity between and within the remaining accessions in the pearl millet core subset.     

Development and characterization of twenty-five new polymorphic microsatellite markers in proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.)

Millets such as proso millet have excellent nutritional properties and could become a basic resource for crop breeding programs and food diversification. In this study, 25 polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed and characterized through construction of an SSR-enriched library from genomic DNA of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.). In total, 110 alleles were detected, with an average of 4.4 alleles per locus. Values of major allele frequency (M _AF ) and expected heterozygosity (H _E ) ranged from 0.36 to 0.98 (mean = 0.73) and from 0.04 to 0.74 (mean = 0.37), respectively. The mean genetic similarity coefficient was 0.3711, indicating that among 50 accessions of proso millet there was wide genetic variation. The newly developed microsatellite markers should be useful tools for assessing genetic diversity, understanding population structure, and breeding of proso millet.     

Diversification of indigenous gene- pool by using exotic germplasm in lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus subsp. culinaris)

Genetic diversity was studied among 21 accessions of lentil using SSR markers and morphological traits in order to assess the diversification of Indian gene-pool of lentil through introgression of exotic genes and introduction of germplasm. Among these , 16 genotypes either had ‘Precoz’ gene, an Argentine line in their pedigree or genes from introduced lines from ICARDA. Sixty five SSR markers and eight phenotypic traits were used to analyse the level of genetic diversity in these genotypes. Forty three SSR markers (66 %) were polymorphic and generated a total of 177 alleles with an average of 4.1 alleles per SSR marker. Alleles per marker ranged from 2 to 6. The polymorphic information content ranged 0.33 to 0.80 with an average of 0.57, suggesting that SSR markers are highly polymorphic among the studied genotypes. Genetic dissimilarity based a dendrogram grouped these accessions into two main clusters (cluster I and cluster II) and it ranged 33 % to 71 %, suggesting high level of genetic diversity among the genotypes. First three components of PCA based morphological traits explained higher variance (95.6 %) compared to PCA components based on SSR markers (42.7 %) of total genetic variance. Thus, more diversity was observed for morphological traits and genotypes in each cluster and sub-cluster showed a range of variability for seed size, earliness, pods/plant and plant height. Molecular and phenotypic diversity analysis thus suggested that use of germplasm of exotic lines have diversified the genetic base of lentil germplasm in India. This diversified gene-pool will be very useful in the development of improved varieties of lentil in order to address the effect of climate change, to adapt in new cropping systems niches such as mixed cropping, relay cropping, etc. and to meet consumers’ preference.     

Assessment of genetic diversity in broomcorn millet （Panicum miliaceum L.） using SSR markers

The genetic diversity of 118 accessions of broomcom millet （Panicum miliaceum L.）, collected from various ecological areas, was analyzed. Using 46 SSR （Simple Sequence Repeat） polymorphic markers from rice, wheat, oat and barley, a total of 226 alleles were found, which exhibited moderate level of diversity. The number of alleles per primer ranged from two to nine, with an average of 4.91. The range of polymorphism information content （PIC） was 0.2844）.980 （average, 0.793）. The expected heterozygosity （He） varied from 0.346 to 0.989, with an average of 0.834. The average coefficient of the genetic similarity of SSR markers among the 118 accessions was 0.609, and it ranged from 0.461 to 0.851. The UPGMA （Unweight Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean） clustering analysis at the genetic similarity value of 0.609 grouped the 118 accessions into five groups. Mantel test meant that geographical origin and genetic distance presented positive correlation. The clustering results were consistent with known information on ecological growing areas. The genetic similarity coefficient of the accessions in the Loess Plateau ecotype was significantly lower than those in the other ecotypes. It indicates that the highest level of genetic diversity occurred in the Loess Plateau, which is probably the original site of Panicum miliaceum.     

Diversity of wild and cultivated pearl millet accessions (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br.) in Niger assessed by microsatellite markers

Genetic diversity of crop species in sub-Sahelian Africa is still poorly documented. Among such crops, pearl millet is one of the most important staple species. In Niger, pearl millet covers more than 65% of the total cultivated area. Analyzing pearl millet genetic diversity, its origin and its dynamics is important for in situ and ex situ germplasm conservation and to increase knowledge useful for breeding programs. We developed new genetic markers and a high-throughput technique for the genetic analysis of pearl millet. Using 25 microsatellite markers, we analyzed genetic diversity in 46 wild and 421 cultivated accessions of pearl millet in Niger. We showed a significantly lower number of alleles and lower gene diversity in cultivated pearl millet accessions than in wild accessions. This result contrasts with a previous study using iso-enzyme markers showing similar genetic diversity between cultivated and wild pearl millet populations. We found a strong differentiation between the cultivated and wild groups in Niger. Analyses of introgressions between cultivated and wild accessions showed modest but statistically supported evidence of introgressions. Wild accessions in the central region of Niger showed introgressions of cultivated alleles. Accessions of cultivated pearl millet showed introgressions of wild alleles in the western, central, and eastern parts of Niger.Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.Cedric Mariac and Viviane Luong have contributed equally to this work.     

Promoting Utilization of Saccharum spp. Genetic Resources through Genetic Diversity Analysis and Core Collection Construction

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) and other members of Saccharum spp. are attractive biofuel feedstocks. One of the two World Collections of Sugarcane and Related Grasses (WCSRG) is in Miami, FL. This WCSRG has 1002 accessions, presumably with valuable alleles for biomass, other important agronomic traits, and stress resistance. However, the WCSRG has not been fully exploited by breeders due to its lack of characterization and unmanageable population. In order to optimize the use of this genetic resource, we aim to 1) genotypically evaluate all the 1002 accessions to understand its genetic diversity and population structure and 2) form a core collection, which captures most of the genetic diversity in the WCSRG. We screened 36 microsatellite markers on 1002 genotypes and recorded 209 alleles. Genetic diversity of the WCSRG ranged from 0 to 0.5 with an average of 0.304. The population structure analysis and principal coordinate analysis revealed three clusters with all S. spontaneum in one cluster, S. officinarum and S. hybrids in the second cluster and mostly non-Saccharum spp. in the third cluster. A core collection of 300 accessions was identified which captured the maximum genetic diversity of the entire WCSRG which can be further exploited for sugarcane and energy cane breeding. Sugarcane and energy cane breeders can effectively utilize this core collection for cultivar improvement. Further, the core collection can provide resources for forming an association panel to evaluate the traits of agronomic and commercial importance.     

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity and Development of a Core Collection of Wild Rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) Populations in China

Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.), the progenitor of Asian cultivated rice (O. sativa L.), is endangered due to habitat loss. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the genetic diversity of wild rice species in isolated populations and to develop a core collection of representative genotypes for ex situ conservation. We collected 885 wild rice accessions from eight geographically distinct regions and transplanted these accessions in a protected conservation garden over a period of almost two decades. We evaluated these accessions for 13 morphological or phenological traits and genotyped them for 36 DNA markers evenly distributed on the 12 chromosomes. The coefficient of variation of quantitative traits was 0.56 and ranged from 0.37 to 1.06. SSR markers detected 206 different alleles with an average of 6 alleles per locus. The mean polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.64 in all populations, indicating that the marker loci have a high level of polymorphism and genetic diversity in all populations. Phylogenetic analyses based on morphological and molecular data revealed remarkable differences in the genetic diversity of common wild rice populations. The results showed that the Zengcheng, Gaozhou, and Suixi populations possess higher levels of genetic diversity, whereas the Huilai and Boluo populations have lower levels of genetic diversity than do the other populations. Based on their genetic distance, 130 accessions were selected as a core collection that retained over 90% of the alleles at the 36 marker loci. This genetically diverse core collection will be a useful resource for genomic studies of rice and for initiatives aimed at developing rice with improved agronomic traits.     

中国花生核心种质的建立

以中国花生种质资源数据库中记录的6390份花生资源为材料,以其基本数据、特征数据和评价数据为信息,采用分层、层内分组聚类以及随机取样与必选资源相结合的方法,构建了由576份资源组成的花生核心种质,占基础收集品的9.01%。对核心种质的植物学类型组成和遗传多样性指数的分析,以及对各性状特征值、符合率和包含的主要抗病资源抗性等级及重要农艺性状资源的检测结果表明,本研究建立的核心种质是有效的。基础收集品中各种性状的遗传变异在核心种质中均存在,所用15个性状的各种特征值符合率均在90%以上,其中绝大部分性状的符合率达96%以上。     

中国花生核心种质的建立

以中国花生种质资源数据库中记录的6390份花生资源为材料,以其基本数据、特征数据和评价数据为信息,采用分层、层内分组聚类以及随机取样与必选资源相结合的方法,构建了由576份资源组成的花生核心种质,占基础收集品的9.01%。对核心种质的植物学类型组成和遗传多样性指数的分析,以及对各性状特征值、符合率和包含的主要抗病资源抗性等级及重要农艺性状资源的检测结果表明,本研究建立的核心种质是有效的。基础收集品中各种性状的遗传变异在核心种质中均存在,所用15个性状的各种特征值符合率均在90%以上,其中绝大部分性状的符合率达96%以上。     

Using microsatellites,isozymes and AFLPs to evaluate genetic diversity and redundancy in the cassava core collection and to assess the usefulness of DNA-based markers to maintain germplasm collections

The cassava core collection was selected to represent, with minimum repetitiveness, the potential genetic diversity of the crop. The core (630 accessions) was chosen from the base collection (over 5500 accessions) on the basis of diversity of origin (country and geographic), morphology, isozyme patterns and specific agronomic criteria. To asses the genetic diversity of the core, 521 accessions were typed with four microsatellite loci. Allele diversity and frequency, and size variance of dinucleotide repeats (Rst statistic) were estimated. Microsatellite allele numbers and frequencies varied among countries: Colombia and Brazil had the largest number of different alleles across all loci. Mexico also had a high number, ranking fifth after Peru, Costa Rica and Venezuela (which tied). Unique alleles were present in accessions from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Venezuela and Paraguay. A small number (1.34%) of potential duplicates were identified through isozyme and AFLP profiles. Thus, the present results indicated that traditional markers have been highly effective at selecting unique genotypes for the core. Future selections of cassava germplasm sets can be aided by DNA-based markers to ensure genetically representative, non-redundant samples. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Distribution of allozymic alleles and genetic diversity in the American Barley Core Collection

A survey of allozymic alleles and genetic diversity was made for 151 accessions of the American Barley Core Collection. A total of 25 alleles at ten loci were observed. Two loci were monomorphic. The average diversity index for individual loci ranged between 0.026 and 0.649. Most significant differences in allelic frequency and genetic diversity value were found between spring and winter barley. Spring barley showed a greatly higher average diversity than winter barley (t=2.124, P=0.071). The smallest differences in allelic frequencies and diversity values were observed between the two geographical regions, North and South America. Rare alleles were detected only in a few accessions. Seven rare alleles were associated with spring barley. The genetic similarities among the 151 accessions ranged from 0.20 to 1.00, which showed that a high level of genetic variability exists in this set of core accessions. Cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis did not give clear-cut separation of different types of barley, but most of the winter barley accessions were closely associated. Received: 7 April 2000 / Accepted: 13 June 2000