Studying the evolution of Xinjiang local pear populations using SNP markers

Abstract

Abstract Background To elucidate the genetic basis of local pear varieties in Xinjiang, China, this study was conducted to scan the whole genome of 28 local pear varieties in Xinjiang using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) molecular marker technology and analyze their genetic diversity and population structure. Result The pure SNP polymorphic loci obtained through screening were 2,045,692, which basically covered the pear genome. The genetic similarity coefficients between the varieties ranged from 0.3086 to 0.9977; when K = 4, the 28 varieties were divided into four groups, and there was general gene exchange between the populations. The cluster analysis results showed that the 28 varieties were classified into 4 taxa. The PCA results also divided the test material into 4 groups, which deviated from the evolutionary tree. The largest number of populations was found in pears between 2 and 10 million years ago, during which the reproductive development of pears developed rapidly. Conclusions The study showed that SNPs obtained polymorphism information among different pear varieties at the genome-wide level, which can be used for genetic diversity analysis between varieties and provide a reference for future molecular enhancement of pear breeding and systematic conservation of plant genetic resources.