Genetic diversity analysis of Moroccan saffron (Crocus sativus L.) of different origins based on intermicrosatellite markers

Abstract: Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is an autumnal herbaceous triploid plant; it is the source of saffron spice, recognized as the most expensive spice in the world. In this study, genetic diversity among 14 saffron accessions collected from different ancestral geographic areas in Morocco, Greece and France, has been assessed using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) markers system. Ten ISSR primers were amplified, a total of 143 fragments of which 44.05 % are polymorphic with an average of 6.3 polymorphic fragments per each primer and average of polymorphic information content (PIC) of 0.236. ISSR markers proved to be a powerful tool for assessment of genetic diversity among saffron accessions. Cluster analysis using unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient and supported by the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), divided the studied accessions into three major groups, and showed that genetic distance is independent of geographical distance. In this paper, we report for the first time the level of genetic diversity among Moroccan saffron; this information allows an unequivocal development of a suitable approach for the conservation of C. sativus germplasm and reduce its genetic erosion.