Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) is one of the most important fiber and oil crop
plants cultivated since ancient time. The flax seeds contain high amount of
omega- 3-fatty acids and biologically active lignans. In spite of economic
importance of cultivated flax, no information is available on its genetic
variability and population structure in Iran. Therefore, we used six
inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP) markers and 15 combined
IRAP markers to reveal within and among population genetic diversity in this
crop plant. We used 30 randomly selected plants in three geographical
populations for present investigation. AMOVA test produced significant
genetic difference (PhiPT = 0.40, P = 0.010) among the studied populations
and also revealed that, 40% of total genetic variability was due to within
population diversity while, 60% was due to among population genetic
differentiation. Gst (0.78, P = 0.001), Hedrick, standardised fixation index
(G'st = 0.83, P = 0.001), revealed that the studied populations are
genetically differentiated. STRUCTURE plot based on admixture model revealed
that the studied populations differed extensively in their genetic content,
but some degree of shared alleles occurred between them. Some adaptive IRAP
loci were identified by LFMM analysis. These loci were private alleles
restricted to geographical populations. Data obtained may be used in breeding
and hybridization program of flax in the country.
UPDATING THE INTRASPECIFIC CLASSIFICATION OF CULTIVATED FLAX (LINUM USITATISSIMUM L) USING METHODS OF CLASSICAL GENETICS
