GENETIC DIVERSITY IN MAIZE FLINT LANDRACES ASSESSED BY MORPHOLOGICAL AND SSR MARKERS

Maize landraces represent potential sources of favorable traits for current and future breeding programs.. A comparative characterization of twenty-one flint maize landraces from Maize Research Institute "Zemun Polje“ gene bank was achieved by using morphological traits and SSR markers. Applied marker systems revealed high level of genetic heterogenity beetween landraces. Cluster analysis of the tested genotypes was based on average values of eighteen observed phenotypic traits. Ten SSR probes revealed total of 68 alleles. Genetic distance between pairs of landraces ranged from 0.05 up to 0.98. Cluster analysis of morphological and SSR markers distances did not exhibited the same grouping of accessions. Individual application of marker systems did not confirm differentiation of certain landraces into a particular agro-ecological group, as was expected according to their origin data. The best way for achieving the most accurate assessment of genetic diversity should comprise parallel application of both approaches