ISSR-based Analysis on Diversity of 18 'Fenghuang Dancong' Tea Plant Strains

Objective ISSR markers were used to analyze the genetic diversity of 'Fenghuang Dancong' Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze for breeding, utilizing, and conserving the valuable natural resource.

Method Genetic diversity of 18 Fenghuang Dancong tea plant strains were determined using the molecular marker technology.

Result Of the 40 sites amplified from 6 ISSR primers, 38 bands were polymorphic at a rate of 93.33%. They had an average gene locus of 6.33, a Nei gene diversity index (h) of 0.3106, and a Shannon information index (I) of 0.4754. The genetic similarity coefficients of the cultivars were between 0.40 and 0.90 with the genetic distances between 0.11 and 0.92. The 18 strains were clustered into 3 groups at the genetic similarity coefficient of 0.64. The 6 ISSR primers totally amplified 3 specific markers.

Conclusion The 18 Fenghuang Dancong tea plant strains were shown to be genetically rich in diversity.