Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) Genotypes from Southern and Southeastern Kazakhstan Using Microsatellite Markers
The walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) holds a significant position among Kazakhstan’s nut crops, both in terms of cultivation and consumption. Although genetic resources of walnut are accessible within the country, they remain underexplored, yet they represent a valuable foundation for br...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Makpal Nurzhuma Alma Kokhmetova Madina Kumarbayeva Zhenis Keishilov Kanat Bakhytuly Ardak Bolatbekova Assiya Kokhmetova Kanat Mukhametzhanov Kadir Akan |
| author_facet | Makpal Nurzhuma Alma Kokhmetova Madina Kumarbayeva Zhenis Keishilov Kanat Bakhytuly Ardak Bolatbekova Assiya Kokhmetova Kanat Mukhametzhanov Kadir Akan |
| author_sort | Makpal Nurzhuma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) holds a significant position among Kazakhstan’s nut crops, both in terms of cultivation and consumption. Although genetic resources of walnut are accessible within the country, they remain underexplored, yet they represent a valuable foundation for breeding initiatives and the development of locally adapted varieties. Currently, a comprehensive genetic profile of these resources is lacking, which hampers their effective utilization. The aim of this research was to evaluate the genetic diversity within a collection of walnut accessions collected from the southern and southeastern regions of Kazakhstan, including Almaty and Turkestan regions. To achieve this, eight SSR molecular markers were employed, providing insights into the genetic structure and relationships among the germplasm. All markers exhibited a high degree of polymorphism, with the WGA276 locus standing out as the most informative, displaying the greatest number of alleles and a high Shannon diversity index. The average expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.704 and was significantly higher than the observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.547), which was confirmed by <i>t</i>-test (t = −6.426, <i>p</i> < 0.05). The findings indicated substantial genetic variation and intra-population polymorphism: on average, 5.875 alleles per locus were identified, and the Shannon index was 1.444. The population from Turkestan region (population 1, Sairam-Ugam) demonstrated the highest levels of diversity. Analyses of genetic structure, conducted through STRUCTURE, PCoA, and UPGMA methods, confirmed the existence of two genetically distinct groups exhibiting considerable diversity. Future research should focus on conserving the highly diverse populations in the Turkestan region to facilitate the development of stress-tolerant varieties. These findings highlight the importance of conserving and harnessing the genetic resources of Kazakhstan’s <i>J. regia</i> populations for future breeding efforts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-08710946ddc34e4fa0194960f899d3e8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2311-7524 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Horticulturae |
| spelling | doaj-art-08710946ddc34e4fa0194960f899d3e82025-08-20T02:45:49ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-07-0111781010.3390/horticulturae11070810Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) Genotypes from Southern and Southeastern Kazakhstan Using Microsatellite MarkersMakpal Nurzhuma0Alma Kokhmetova1Madina Kumarbayeva2Zhenis Keishilov3Kanat Bakhytuly4Ardak Bolatbekova5Assiya Kokhmetova6Kanat Mukhametzhanov7Kadir Akan8Institute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Almaty 050040, KazakhstanInstitute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Almaty 050040, KazakhstanInstitute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Almaty 050040, KazakhstanInstitute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Almaty 050040, KazakhstanInstitute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Almaty 050040, KazakhstanInstitute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Almaty 050040, KazakhstanInstitute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Almaty 050040, KazakhstanInstitute of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Almaty 050040, KazakhstanFaculty of Agricultural, Kirsehir Ahi Evran University, Kirsehir 40100, TurkeyThe walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) holds a significant position among Kazakhstan’s nut crops, both in terms of cultivation and consumption. Although genetic resources of walnut are accessible within the country, they remain underexplored, yet they represent a valuable foundation for breeding initiatives and the development of locally adapted varieties. Currently, a comprehensive genetic profile of these resources is lacking, which hampers their effective utilization. The aim of this research was to evaluate the genetic diversity within a collection of walnut accessions collected from the southern and southeastern regions of Kazakhstan, including Almaty and Turkestan regions. To achieve this, eight SSR molecular markers were employed, providing insights into the genetic structure and relationships among the germplasm. All markers exhibited a high degree of polymorphism, with the WGA276 locus standing out as the most informative, displaying the greatest number of alleles and a high Shannon diversity index. The average expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.704 and was significantly higher than the observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.547), which was confirmed by <i>t</i>-test (t = −6.426, <i>p</i> < 0.05). The findings indicated substantial genetic variation and intra-population polymorphism: on average, 5.875 alleles per locus were identified, and the Shannon index was 1.444. The population from Turkestan region (population 1, Sairam-Ugam) demonstrated the highest levels of diversity. Analyses of genetic structure, conducted through STRUCTURE, PCoA, and UPGMA methods, confirmed the existence of two genetically distinct groups exhibiting considerable diversity. Future research should focus on conserving the highly diverse populations in the Turkestan region to facilitate the development of stress-tolerant varieties. These findings highlight the importance of conserving and harnessing the genetic resources of Kazakhstan’s <i>J. regia</i> populations for future breeding efforts.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/7/810walnutmicrosatellite markersgenetic diversitypolymorphismpopulation structurebreeding |
| spellingShingle | Makpal Nurzhuma Alma Kokhmetova Madina Kumarbayeva Zhenis Keishilov Kanat Bakhytuly Ardak Bolatbekova Assiya Kokhmetova Kanat Mukhametzhanov Kadir Akan Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) Genotypes from Southern and Southeastern Kazakhstan Using Microsatellite Markers Horticulturae walnut microsatellite markers genetic diversity polymorphism population structure breeding |
| title | Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) Genotypes from Southern and Southeastern Kazakhstan Using Microsatellite Markers |
| title_full | Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) Genotypes from Southern and Southeastern Kazakhstan Using Microsatellite Markers |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) Genotypes from Southern and Southeastern Kazakhstan Using Microsatellite Markers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) Genotypes from Southern and Southeastern Kazakhstan Using Microsatellite Markers |
| title_short | Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Walnut (<i>Juglans regia</i> L.) Genotypes from Southern and Southeastern Kazakhstan Using Microsatellite Markers |
| title_sort | assessment of genetic diversity in walnut i juglans regia i l genotypes from southern and southeastern kazakhstan using microsatellite markers |
| topic | walnut microsatellite markers genetic diversity polymorphism population structure breeding |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/7/810 |
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