Genetic diversity in native Bulgarian grapevine germplasm (Vitis vinifera L.) based on nuclear and chloroplast microsatellite polymorphisms

Abstract

Fifty one wild specimens collected in different areas in Bulgaria and nineteen native Bulgarian grapevine cultivars were genotyped with 7 nuclear and 5 chloroplast SSR markers. Based on the microsatellite allelic profile six wild samples, collected from the Danube Riverbank, were considered non vinifera genotypes. The genetic diversity for nuclear loci observed in the cultivated grapevines was comparable to that found in other cultivated collections. However, lower genetic diversity was observed in the set of wild samples. The dendrogram based on nuclear SSRs separated most of the cultivated grapevines from the wild samples. Four chlorotypes corresponding to previously determined chlorotypes A, B, C and D, were identified in the analyzed samples that occurred with different frequencies in groups of wild and cultivated plants. The most frequent chlorotype among wild samples was A, while it was C in the cultivated samples. The differentiation of Bulgarian grape chlorotypes in the context of differentiation of chlorotypes in Eurasian grape flora is discussed