Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Davis, California » Nat'l Clonal Germplasm Rep - Tree Fruit & Nut Crops & Grapes » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #320253
Title: Multivariate analysis of molecular and morphological diversity in fig (Ficus carica L.)

Author
item Aradhya, Mallikarjuna
item Preece, John
item VELASCO, DIANNE - University Of California

Submitted to: Acta Horticulturae
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2017
Publication Date: 10/31/2017
Citation: Aradhya, M.K., Preece, J.E., Velasco, D. 2017. Multivariate analysis of molecular and morphological diversity in fig (Ficus carica L.). Acta Horticulturae. 1173:23-28. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1173.4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1173.4

Interpretive Summary: Genetic polymorphism across 15 microsatellite loci among 194 fig accessions including Common, Smyrna, San Pedro, and Caprifig were analyzed using a cluster analysis (CA) and the principal components analysis (PCA). The collection was moderately variable with observed number of alleles per locus ranging from four for five different loci, MFC4, LMFC14, LMFC22, LMFC31 and LMFC35 to nine for LMFC30 with an average of 4.9 alleles per locus. Of the nine loci exhibiting deviation, three showed excess and six deficiency of heterozygote. However, the mean heterozygosity across loci conformed to panmixia. Comparison of multilocus genotypes revealed many instances of synonymy or misidentification of cultivar names. The CA of molecular data revealed three groups that differed significantly for frequency and composition of alleles for different loci. The PCA confirmed the results of CA. The CA and PCA of 103 accessions based on 24 categorical variables (vegetative, reproductive and developmental traits) showed relationships somewhat incongruent with molecular analyses mainly in the placement of Caprifig but also other fig types. The weak genetic structure observed in the present study is probably due to the fact that fig circulates genetic variability across different fig types through a dynamic gene flow facilitated by a complex pollination interactions involving the symbiotic relationship between the fig and its pollinator.

Technical Abstract: Genetic polymorphism across 15 microsatellite loci among 194 fig accessions including Common, Smyrna, San Pedro, and Caprifig were analyzed using a cluster analysis (CA) and the principal components analysis (PCA). The collection was moderately variable with observed number of alleles per locus ranging from four for five different loci, MFC4, LMFC14, LMFC22, LMFC31 and LMFC35 to nine for LMFC30 with an average of 4.9 alleles per locus. Of the nine loci exhibiting deviation, three showed excess and six deficiency of heterozygote. However, the mean heterozygosity across loci conformed to panmixia. Comparison of multilocus genotypes revealed many instances of synonymy or misidentification of cultivar names. The CA of molecular data revealed three groups that differed significantly for frequency and composition of alleles for different loci. The PCA confirmed the results of CA. The CA and PCA of 103 accessions based on 24 categorical variables (vegetative, reproductive and developmental traits) showed relationships somewhat incongruent with molecular analyses mainly in the placement of Caprifig but also other fig types. The weak genetic structure observed in the present study is probably due to the fact that fig circulates genetic variability across different fig types through a dynamic gene flow facilitated by a complex pollination interactions involving the symbiotic relationship between the fig and its pollinator.