Genetic diversity analysis of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars from Figuig oasis (Morocco) using SSR markers

In Morocco, as in most of North Africa countries, date palm plantations are currently in danger of being destroyed due to “Bayoud” disease. However, little is known about Moroccan date palm germplasm. Thus, this preliminary work aimed at analyzing genetic diversity among 128 date palms sampled from the Figuig oasis (Morocco) using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Among these palms, 121 were females, belonging to 11 cultivars, and 7 were males. Eighteen primers were used for the analysis of their genetic diversity. Only 15 primers amplified successfully, all the samples. The total number of alleles was 107 and the percentage of polymorphic loci was high and was ranged between 80 and 100% with an average of 96.11%. “Tadmant” and “Tgharas” cultivars were the closest genetically however “Mejhoul” and “Aziza manzou” cultivars were the farthest. The molecular variance analysis showed 59% of variability among cultivars. The obtained dendrogram showed three groups and generally, a good organization of cultivars. Male genotypes showed no genetic difference with female cultivars.