Identification of ISSR Molecular Markers Associated with Morphological and Qualitative Forage Traits in Elymus hispidus (Opiz) Melderis var. villosus (Hackel) Assadi

Shirvani, Hooman; Etminan, Alireza; Safari, Hooshmand

doi:10.30473/cb.2025.75043.2012

Identification of ISSR Molecular Markers Associated with Morphological and Qualitative Forage Traits in Elymus hispidus (Opiz) Melderis var. villosus (Hackel) Assadi

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

¹ Lecturer at Payam Noor University

² Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran

³ -Forests and Rangelands Research Department, Kermanshah Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Kermanshah, Iran

10.30473/cb.2025.75043.2012

Abstract

Due to its adaptability to environmental stresses such as drought and salinity, as well as its favorable forage quality, Elymus hispidus var. villosus plays a key role in sustainable rangeland management and forage production in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. This study was conducted to identify ISSR molecular markers associated with morphological traits and forage quality in 24 genotypes of this species. Morphological traits including plant height, number of stems per plant, flag leaf length, and dry forage yield, along with quality traits such as crude protein percentage, dry matter digestibility, and acid detergent fiber, were evaluated using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIR). Molecular analysis using 13 ISSR primers revealed a polymorphism rate of 97.94% and high genetic diversity among the genotypes, confirmed by PIC, EMR, MI, and RP indices. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in morphological traits (at 1% and 5% levels), while forage quality traits exhibited more limited variation. Mean comparison identified genotypes 23 and 10 as promising candidates for breeding programs due to their superior performance and morphological traits. Phenotypic correlations revealed a significant positive association (at the 5% level) between dry forage yield and plant height, internode length, and flag leaf length, with a stronger correlation (at the 1% level) with the number of stems per plant. Stepwise regression analysis demonstrated a significant association of marker IS11 with seven traits, and markers UBC880, UBC825, and UBC808 with several traits. These findings highlight the efficiency of ISSR markers in enhancing genetic improvement strategies for sustainable forage production.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Molecular Plant Breeding

References

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