Genetic diversity trend of common wheat (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.) in China revealed with AFLP markers

A total of 242 accessions of common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) released in China since the 1940s were evaluated with AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) technique. Genetic diversity was analyzed using five pairs of polymorphic primer combinations with 245 polymorphic bands. The highest genetic diversity was found in the accessions of the 1950s, and in the next place was that in the 1940s. The genetic diversity began to descend in the 1960s, and fell to the lowest in the 1970s. After that, the genetic diversity came back to some extent in the 1980s, however, it became much lower in the 1990s compared with that in the 1940–1950s. Landraces and introduced accessions from foreign countries showed greater genetic diversity in comparison to improved varieties. In addition, greater genetic diversity was observed in winter wheat. It was emphasized that great attention should be paid on further exploration of genetic diversity in wheat breeding program.