Identifying molecular differences using ISSR markers on three quinoa genotypes (Chenopodiumm quinoa) under Sinai conditions, Egypt

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of three quinoa genotypes (Giza1, Danish KVL3704, and Misr1) under three irrigation intervals (every three, six, and nine days). Genetic diversity among nine quinoa accessions was assessed using eight ISSR primers, yielding robust amplification products and polymorphic fingerprint patterns. A total of 102 bands were generated, averaging 12.75 bands per primer. Among these, 52 fragments were polymorphic, resulting in an average of 6.5 polymorphic bands per primer and an overall polymorphism level of 40.9%. Primer ISSR-8 exhibited the highest polymorphic capacity with 17 polymorphic bands, while primer ISSR-15 displayed the highest frequency (0.9). In contrast, primers ISSR-8 and ISSR-10 exhibited the lowest frequency (0.5). The polymorphism percentage ranged from 20% for primer ISSR-15 to 88% for primer ISSR-10. The similarity index revealed a minimum value of 78% between treatments, clustering the nine accessions into eight groups across four similarity levels, from 80% to a maximum of 93%. Dendrogram analysis underscored the utility of ISSR-PCR in detecting genetic relationships among quinoa accessions. These findings highlight the potential of ISSR-PCR as a reliable tool for genetic diversity studies and its applicability in quinoa breeding programs.