Evaluation of morphological and genetic diversity of loquat accessions grown in sicily

In this study 20 accessions of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) that originated from Sicily and other countries were characterized phenotypically and genotyped using seven microsatellite markers. The microsatellites clearly distinguished 14 accessions; three pairs of local accessions were not differentiated, and three accessions from abroad can be considered bud sport mutations of the main Spanish cultivar 'Algerie'. The mean alleles per locus was four, ranging from two with the marker EJ075 and five with EJ012 and EJ271; the mean Polymorphic Information Content was 0.53; the average expected and observed heterozygosities resulted 0.62 and 0.59, respectively. These values revealed a low level of genetic diversity and high relatedness among the accessions studied. The UPGMA dendrogram based on genetic distances grouped the accessions according to their geographic origin and pedigree.