Molecular characterization of niger [<i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Guizotia abyssinica </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style:italic">(L.f.) Cass.] germplasms diverse for oil parameters </span>

344-350Molecular markers ISSR were used to assess the genetic diversity in 35 niger [Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.) Cass.] germplasm accessions significantly differing for oil parameters. Of the 200 ISSR primers screened, 25 primers producing clear and polymorphic bands were selected. The efficiency of individual ISSR primers was also compared for the resolving power ranges (Rp; 0.16 to 7.5); number of banding patterns (Nb; 3 to 27); heterozygosity (H; 0.245 to 0.497); polymorphic information content (PIC; 0.215 to 0.374); and discrimination power (Dj; 0.138 to 0.992). The range of mean genetic similarities between accessions based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient was significantly high (0.1 to 0.95) with a mean value of 0.40. The UPGMA clustering based on bootstrap analyses grouped the accessions into three major clusters. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: AdvCaeciliaRm" lang="EN-GB">Although a significant genetic diversity was observed based on ISSR and biochemical markers, but only partial correlation between diversity based on these two parameters was observed. On the basis of present findings, it is evident that significant genetic as well as biochemical diversity exists among the niger accessions. The genotypes, particularly, accessions IC259393, IC211080 and IC211078 with highest linoleic acid (>53%), highest stearic acid (>8%), highest palmitic acid (>9%) and least oleic acid (<29%) would be helpful in pre-breeding for hybridization to create a wide spectrum of variability in subsequent segregating generations for various uses of fatty acids. The finding would further elucidate the genetics of oil parameters in niger.