Molecular Characterization of Some Lettuce Samples (Lactuca sativa) Grown in Turkey Using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR)

Abstract

This study aims to determine the differences between genotypes of some Lactuca sativa (lettuce) samples commonly grown in Turkey. In the study, Lactuca sativa genotypes were obtained from the samples of three different companies and their molecular analyses were carried out. Fourteen SSR primers were used for the analysis of genetic differences between Lactuca sativa genotypes. As a result of the analysis with SSR markers, the differences according to the UPGMA method were considered statistically significant at 95% sensitivity and shown in the distance matrix. As a result of this study, 23 genotypes were divided into two main groups and the genetic difference between these groups was determined as 12%. Among the Lactuca sativa genotypes, Yedikule and Eskule genotypes were genetically determined to be more distant than expected. The SSR findings gathered as a result of this study will contribute to the selection of appropriate SSR markers for future scientific studies and thus minimize the loss of time and effort for the studies.