The Determination of Genetic Diversity in White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) Populations

Sustainability can only be achieved through the use and protection of genetic resources. White clover (Trifolium repens L.), a perennial legume forage grass, is also an important genetic resource and widely found in grasslands, parks and gardens in many regions of Turkey. This study was conducted to determine the genetic diversity of white clover populations collected from different altitudes on seven provinces of Turkey. Six Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) molecular markers were used to estimate genetic diversity in fifteen populations collected for the study. In the study, 56 alleles were detected. Populations were gouped as three clusters in the dendogram created to see genetic relationships. According to results, especially population collected from high altitudes were mostly in the same group. This revealed the interaction between geographical distribution and genetic diversity in the collected samples. As a result, it was understood that our country has a rich genetic diversity to provide the necessary material in the white clover breeding