Abstract:
Inbred maize (Zea maize L.) lines play a crucial role in the production of
novel hybrid maize varieties. However, the dispersion of alleles related
canopy architecture and photosynthetic traits due to the inbred depression
process is poorly understood. This research aims to examine the genetic
diversity of four maize inbred accessions: SEU2-S1, SEU2-S2, SEU10-S3,
SEU16-S3, and compare them with the elite cultivar, cv. Bhadra. Standard
protocols were employed to extract genomic DNA from immature maize
seedling leaves. PCR was then performed using the following SSR markers:
phi065, phi116, umc1066, umc1222, umc1231, umc1545, and bnlg155. The
data were analyzed using GenAlex and DARwin software. Based on the
results obtained, 35 alleles were amplified, with the highest observed (6.0)
and effective (5.556) alleles found in the phi116 marker. This marker also
showed the highest gene diversity and PIC values (0.820 and 0.794,
respectively), while the lowest values were recorded in umc1545 (0.640 and
0.563, respectively). Among all the SSR primers used, phi065, umc1231,
umc1066, and bnlg155 resulted in expected heterozygosity values of 0.8,
0.78, 0.8, and 0.76, respectively. Accordingly, the most genetic diversity
parameters were found to be linked with the leaf area index and cob traits,
while chlorophyll content and quantum yield efficiency were moderately
diverse among maize accessions. Moreover, the cluster analysis identified
two major genetic groups with a mean similarity of 0.764. These results
elucidate the importance of genetic diversity when working with inbred lines
in maize.
