Genetic divergence in basil cultivars and hybrids.

Resumo

This work aimed to analyze the genetic diversity of 27 basil genotypes using ISSR molecular markers. Fourteen primers were used for DNA amplification, resulting in 86% polymorphism. Genetic similarity among individuals was calculated, forming seven distinct groups. Most individuals (62.9%) were clustered in group III. Based on the Jaccard’s similarity index, the lowest similarity index (0.30) was observed between individuals BAS001 and BAS012, while the highest similarity index (0.82) was detected between genotypes BAS014 and BAS015. The values of expected heterozygosity (H_E) (0.36), Shanon Index (I) (0.54), and polymorphic information content (PIC) (0.89) indicated considerable levels of genetic diversity among genotypes. The genotypes with the greatest genetic variability (BAS001 and BAS012) are the most divergent and can be used in breeding programs for the obtainment of hybrids.