The use of microsatellite markers to examine the diversity of the genetic resources of rice (Oryza sativa) adapted to European conditions

A sample of 419 varieties of rice from gene banks in five European countries was analysed with reference to a collection of 57 Asian varieties. The genetic diversity of 16 microsatellite loci was examined. The structure of rice from the European collection is almost exclusively bipolar: 85% of the varieties are from the subspecies japonica and 13% from the subspecies indica. The microsatellite polymorphism is high with an average of 9.1 alleles per locus. All the varieties were identified and classified in terms of their allelic patterns. Of the 419 varieties, there were 388 different genotypes. Groups with varietal affinities were identified using a method of hierarchical classification. The microsatellites reveal that 82 varieties display an intravarietal polymorphism with two alleles on one or more loci. This paper discusses the polymorphism which is generally not evidenced in the field. (Résumé d'auteur