DNA content,morphometric and molecular marker analyses of Citrus limonimedica, C. limon and C. medica for the determination of their variability and genetic relationships within the genus Citrus

This work investigated the fingerprinting and phenotyping of Citrus germplasm; species selected were of historical importance belonging to Citrus limonimedica Lush. and its supposed ancestors, along with some other species of the Citrus genus. An integrated approach based on the exploitation of nuclear DNA content, morphological traits and molecular markers, such as RAPD fingerprints and ITS-based SNPs, was employed. We studied a core collection of 54 distinct accessions, including 43 genotypes of the Citrus species (18 species or supposed species) and 11 genotypes of the Poncirus genus, which was used as the reference outgroup. Morphological trait analysis and statistical analysis of DNA content and markers were useful for reconstructing a Citrus phylogeny. In particular, our experiments aimed at estimating the genetic variation within and the genetic relatedness among C limon (L.) Burm., C. limonimedica and C. medica L. to shed light on the hybrid origin hypothesis of C. limonimedica. The results of the multidisciplinary analyses allowed us to confirm a remarkable differentiation between Poncirus and Citrus genera and to highlight a close relationship among the three investigated Citrus species but a distinct difference between these three species and other species in the Citrus genus. RAPD fingerprints and ITS polymorphisms enabled us to point out a variation gradient between lemon and citron, with C. limonimedica as a possible intermediate species. Some accessions of C. medica and C. limonimedica that deviate from such a trend suggest recurrent introgression and/or hybridisation with other species of Citrus.     

Assessment of genetic diversity of Highland bananas from the National Banana Germplasm Collection at Rubona,Rwanda using RAPD markers

The genetic similarities of 49 accessions of bananas from The National Banana Collection at Rubona were investigated using random amplified polymorphic DNA markers. A total of 120 primers were screened for their usefulness in amplifying DNA fragments of four cultivars belonging to the subgroup Mutika–Lujugira. Fifteen random primers were selected for more detailed analysis, on the basis of providing reproducible amplification and revealing a high level of variation between the four cultivars. The genetic similarity was estimated using a simple matching coefficient which showed the lowest value of 0.46 between ‘Ingumba’ and ‘Ishika’ and the highest value of 0.85 between ‘Kirayenda’ and ‘Inyabukuwe’. The data of matrix of coefficient of similarity was subjected to cluster analysis using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic average (UPGMA). Each accession was clearly separated. The results of this study are important for the curation of the banana germplasm collection in Eastern Central Africa and for future breeding of this crop.     

Comparative analysis of genetic diversity in Prunus L. as revealed by RAPD and SSR markers

RAPD and SSR markers were used for genetic diversity evaluations among 15 genotypes selected from the genus Prunus L. Altogether 40 RAPD primers and 21 primer pairs designated for microsatellite loci were applied on the whole group of genotypes.     

Assessment of genetic diversity among mango (Mangifera indica L.) genotypes using RAPD markers

Knowledge about the extent of genetic diversity/relatedness in mango germplasm is vital for developing coherent strategies for future gains in productivity. The genetic diversity/relatedness among mango cultivars/genotypes developed in Pakistan has not been investigated previously. We have assessed the genetic diversity among 25 mango genotypes/cultivars using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Sixty random ten-mer primers were surveyed, out of which 45 yielded amplicons in all the genotypes. Genetic similarity between genotypes/cultivars was in the range of 64–89% with an average of 74%. Similarly, the genetic relatedness among all variants derived from a mango cultivar Chaunsa was in the range of 81.18–88.63%. These coefficients were utilized to construct a dendrogram using the unweighted pair group of arithmetic means (UPGMA). The genotypes were grouped into three (A, B, C) clusters. Generally, genotypes originating from Pakistan were grouped in cluster ‘A’ while cluster ‘B’ primarily composed of southern India as well as Florida cultivars. Kensington Pride was the most distantly related genotype which grouped with Maya and Yakta, forming a distinct cluster ‘C’.     

Phylogenetic analysis in some Diospyros spp. (Ebenaceae) and Japanese persimmon using chloroplast DNA PCR-RFLP markers

Ten universal primer pairs of chloroplast genome were used to amplify non-coding regions of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) in 7 Diospyros L. species including 29 genotypes and approximately 20.4 kb, 12.6% of the chloroplast genome were analyzed. The amplified products were digested by seven restriction enzymes. The results showed that there were abundant polymorphisms in inter-specific cpDNA within the genus Diospyros. However, it was not observed intra-species variations in 22 tested genotypes of Diospyros kaki (Japanese persimmon), except for ‘Male strain No. 9’. Persimmon had close relationship with Diospyros lotus and Diospyros glaucifolia, but distantly with Diospyros virginiana and Diospyros rhombifolia in diagram based on principal coordinates analysis and Wagner parsimony method. The discrepancy of digesting pattern in cpDNA suggested that the genotype Jinzaoshi was distinct with the remaining Diospyros spp., which revealed that Jinzaoshi may be a new species of the genus Diospyros.     

Use of ISSR markers to assess genetic diversity of African edible seeded Citrullus lanatus landraces

We used the twenty primers to evaluate the genetic variability of 80 individuals belonging to four accessions of edible seeded Citrullus lanatus originated from Côte d’Ivoire. Edible seeded C. lanatus, named “egusi” or “pistachio”, had a great importance in nutrition in West Africa. Nevertheless, due to its neglected status no study to our knowledge has been devoted to its genetic variability using DNA markers. The twenty ISSR primers generated 258 bands among which 252 were polymorphic (97.67%). On the whole, the bands generated revealed three types of profile sharply distinct from each other with minor differences within each type. One profile (P1) was most frequent with 65 individuals. Three accessions (NI084, NI127 and NI145) generated the three types of profile and had medium values of genetic diversity (GD = 0.246–0.275, respectively). On the opposite, the accession NI076 only contained individuals of the most represented type of profile (P1) and had the lowest genetic diversity (GD = 0.055 ± 0.017). The pairwise genetic distance between the 80 individuals varied from 0 to 0.61. The Factorial Component Analysis and the dendrogram clearly separated the 80 individuals into three clusters corresponding to the three types of profile. The results showed that clusters were well separated from each other whereas accessions were not. Our results suggest that high number of individuals should be taken into account for sampling missions and conservation strategies because accessions were not well differentiated from each other. Local agricultural practices consisting of frequent seeds exchanges between farmers and the conservation of harvested seeds for next year culture could be one explanation.     

Comparative analysis of genetic diversity in Citrus germplasm collection using AFLP,SSAP, SAMPL and SSR markers

In this study we evaluate the informativeness and efficiency of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP), Sequence-Specific Amplified Polymorphism (S-SAP), Selectively Amplified Microsatellite Polymorphic Loci (SAMPL) and Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers for genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationship among the Citrus species and mapping ability of the marker system. The SSR exhibited relatively higher level of polymorphism information content in terms of the expected heterozygosity, than that of the AFLPs, SSAPs and SAMPLs. For each marker system, average level of the discriminating potential was very close to the actual discriminating potential. Similarity matrices showed weak, yet significant correlations when Mantel's test was applied. The highest positive (0.72) correlation was found between the AFLP and SSAP markers. The SSR and SAMPL markers were poorly correlated. The dendrogram topology among the four marker systems had high similarity. Taken together, the SSAP and SAMPL were highly efficient in detecting genetic similarity in Citrus, while the SSR may be more useful for segregation studies and genome mapping in Citrus. The SSAP and SAMPL markers could be useful for Citrus genome mapping in combination with AFLP and SSR markers. To our knowledge, this was the first detail report of a comparison of performances among AFLP, SSR and retrotrasposon based molecular marker technique on a set of samples of Citrus. Our result provides guidance for future efficient use of these molecular methods in genetic analysis of Citrus sp. and its relatives.     

Use of ISSR,SRAP, and RAPD markers to assess genetic diversity in Turkish melons

The genetic relationships among 63 melon (Cucumis melo L.) genotypes collected from various regions of Turkey were determined by comparing their molecular ISSR, SRAP, and RAPD markers with those of 19 foreign melon genotypes to investigate the taxonomic relationships and genetic variation of Turkish melon germplasm. Total 162 polymorphic markers (69, 18, and 75 obtained from ISSR, SRAP, and RAPD primers, respectively) were used to define the genetic similarity among the melon genotypes by dendrogram or two and three dimensional scalings. The average similarity (SM coefficient) between any two pairs of accessions examined as estimated by molecular variation was 0.73 ± 0.48. Within-group genetic similarities ranged between 0.46 and 0.96. Related genotypes or genotypes collected from similar regions were partitioned to similar clusters. Southeastern Anatolian genotypes were distinctly apart from group inodorus and group cantalupensis (sweet) genotypes. This reinforced the position of Turkey in the secondary genetic diversity center of melon. The genetic diversity among Turkish genotypes (H = 0.28 and I = 0.42) was only a little less than that of the world accessions (H = 0.30 and I = 0.45). On the other hand, the percentage of polymorphic loci among Turkish melon genotypes (90.7%) was even higher than that of the world accessions (87.6%).     

An AFLP-based assessment of the genetic diversity within Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and its place within the Hibiscus genus complex

Species within the genus Hibiscus (Malvaceae) are herbaceous or woody plants, annuals or perennials. Within the genus, most of the domesticated species are grown as ornamentals, and the most widely exploited is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, which is particularly variable with respect to flower colour and shape. H. rosa-sinensis is thought to have originated following hybridization between two species complexes endemic to different geographic locations.     

Rose (Rosa hybrida L.) EST-derived microsatellite markers and their transferability to strawberry (Fragaria spp.)

The ‘Genome database for Rosaceae (GDR)’ provides a large collection of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) harboring simple sequence repeats (SSRs) from several Rosaceae genera, including Rosa (rose). Primer pairs flanking SSR were designed for 312 unique Rosa ESTs based on GDR database. Eight rose (Rosa hybrida L.) genotypes were tested for PCR amplification, and 287 (92%) of the primer pairs generated allele-specific PCR bands that were readily scored. From 183 (63.7%) primer pairs that evidenced polymorphic alleles among the eight rose cultivars, 20 pairs evidencing EST sequence homology to known gene functions and high levels of polymorphism were selected and utilized for DNA fingerprinting and genetic diversity assessments of 47 rose hybrids. A total of 202 polymorphic bands were scored and generated unique fingerprints for each rose hybrid. The Nei–Li genetic similarity coefficients among 1081 pair-wise comparisons of 47 cultivars exhibited a broad range of genetic variations from 0.30 (‘Grand King’ and ‘Carnival’) to 0.99 (‘First Red’ and ‘Red Champ’). UPGMA cluster analysis divided 47 hybrids into five major groups and two sub-groups. The cross-species transferability of 273 EST-SSR primer pairs was evaluated using four genotypes of the strawberry, a genus member of the Rosaceae family. PCRs on the DNA samples of strawberry were successful for 165 primer pairs; among these, 123 pairs amplified 243 polymorphic bands. As surrogates of the marker transfer, the phenetic relationship among the four strawberry genotypes was evaluated. Genetic similarity coefficients varied from 0.78 (‘Maehyang’ and ‘Janghyee’) to 0.64 (‘Janghyee’ and ‘Pragana’). The results of cluster analysis showed that the three octaploid strawberry cultivars were quite similar, whereas the diploid ‘Pragana’ was related distantly at the genomic DNA level. The EST-SSR markers developed in the present study can be efficiently utilized for genetic diversity studies in Rosaceae.     

Cultivar identification and genetic diversity analysis of broccoli and its related species with RAPD and ISSR markers

A total of 18 genotypes of broccoli were subjected to random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker analysis. Seventy-four RAPD and eight ISSR primers generated 344 and 67 polymorphic bands, respectively. All broccoli genotypes could be distinguished with two-primer combinations, indicating that RAPD and ISSR markers can be used to efficiently identify broccoli cultivars. These 18 broccoli genotypes could be separated into two major sub-groups. The first major sub-group (A) included 13 genotypes and the second major sub-group (B) was comprised of five genotypes belonging to early-maturating cultivars. Genetic diversity analysis was performed on the 18 broccoli genotypes, one radish genotype, and six related Brassica accessions. All accessions could be clustered into two groups (radish and Brassica) based on the unweighted pair group of arithmetic average (UPGMA) cluster analysis. The UPGMA analysis indicated that broccoli is most closely related to cauliflower, than to cabbage and Chinese cabbage.     

Variety identification and comparative analysis of genetic diversity in yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata spp. sesquipedalis) using morphological characters,SSR and ISSR analysis

Genetic diversity and relatedness of 23 yardlong bean (Vigna unguiculata spp. sesquipedalis) accessions and 7 accessions of a hybrid between cowpea (V. unguiculata spp. unguiculata) and yardlong bean (dwarf yardlong bean) in Thailand were estimated using morphological characters, simple sequence repeat (SSR) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. In addition, two mungbean (Vignaradiata (L.) Wilczek) and two blackgram (Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper) accessions were also used as outgroup species for molecular analysis. Five morphological characters were diverse among most accessions. However, five groups of 2–3 accessions could not be distinguished from one another based on these morphological characters alone. Unweighted pair-group arithmetic average (UPGMA) analysis of these characters separated these 30 accessions into 2 major groups; the yardlong bean group and the dwarf yardlong bean group. Eleven of the sixteen SSR primers yielded clear SSRs, ten of which were polymorphic (90.91% polymorphism), detecting a total of 54 alleles with an average of 4.91 alleles per locus. These 10 polymorphic SSR markers successfully distinguished 28 yardlong bean and dwarf yardlong bean accessions. The polymorphic information content (PIC) among genotypes varied from 0.251 to 0.752 with an average of 0.597. Among the 16 ISSR primers used, a total of 312 ISSR fragments were amplified for these three Vigna species, revealing the polymorphism percentage of 91.03%. The average ISSR PIC value (0.197) with the range of 0.137–0.276 was lower than that of SSR. Nevertheless, the average marker index of this multilocus marker was 3.495, which was higher than that of SSR (0.669), owing to the differences in the effective multiplex ratio. In addition, Mantel test cophenetic correlation coefficient was higher for ISSR (0.566) than that of SSR (0.198). These results indicated higher efficiency of ISSR for estimating the levels of genetic diversity and relationships among yardlong beans and dwarf yardlong beans in this study. Pair-wise coefficients of SSR- and ISSR-based genetic similarity among all yardlong bean and dwarf yardlong bean accessions averaged 0.87 and 0.91, respectively, suggesting a narrow genetic base that emphasizes the need to broaden genetic diversity to ensure continued breeding success. Clustering of genotypes within groups was not similar when SSR and ISSR derived dendrograms from UPGMA analysis were compared. It appeared that ISSR was the most effective marker system in determining the genetic variability and relationships among yardlong bean and dwarf yardlong bean accessions and differentiating three Vigna species. In addition, ISSR was also most useful for variety identification since all 30 yardlong beans and dwarf yardlong bean accessions can be effectively distinguished by only four ISSR primers with the highest PIC values.     

Polymorphisms of amplified mitochondrial DNA non-coding regions in Diospyros spp.

Universal primers were used to amplify mtDNA non-coding regions in Diospyros spp. including 6 related species and 20 genotypes of Diospyros kaki Thunb. The results showed: (1) 32 universal primers successfully amplified either introns or intergenic regions in Diospyros spp. A total of 119 bands were obtained, in which 110 were polymorphic. (2) Twenty three universal primers were used to analysis genetic diversity at the level of intra-specific, which revealed that the mitochondrial genomes had abundant variation during recombination. Chinese, Japanese PCNA genotypes were separated distinctly from each other by clustering analysis. (3) Two Chinese PCNA genotypes of Japanese persimmon, ‘Baogaitianshi’ and ‘Eshi No.1’, have unique bands to other materials, which showed they would have derived from the same female parent according to the maternal inheritance of mitochondrial genome.     

Genetic characterization of different demes in Prunus persica revealed by RAPD markers

DNAs of 180 accessions in 10 demes in Prunus persica were amplified with twenty-two, 10-base primers selected from 200 arbitrary primers using Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technology. One hundred and eighty loci were observed and recorded. With statistical analyses of the data from the study, genetic diversity of the demes was expressed as follow: yellow peach group > honey peach group > flat peach group > red leaf peach group > crisp peach group > bitao group and juicy peach group > nectarine group > shouxingtao group > weeping peach group. Genetic variations among and within groups by AMOVA analyses were 11.9, 88.1%, respectively. Demes clustered by UPGMA modified from NEIGHBOR procedure of PHYLIP Version 3.5, the edible peaches of which were combined as a section, while the ornamental species were classified into separate sections. Through analyses of genetic diversity and genetic structure, the results could provide molecular biological evidence for conservation and utilization of P. persica germplasm.     

Genetic diversity of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) genotypes revealed by RAPD markers and agronomic traits

Bitter gourd or bitter melon (Momordica charantia L.) is considered as minor cucurbitaceous vegetable in spite of having considerable nutritional and medicinal properties. Although some reports on genetic diversity based on morphological characterization are available, no work has been conducted to estimate genetic diversity using molecular markers in this crop. In the present study, 38 genotypes of M. charantia including few commercially cultivars collected from different parts of India based on agro-ecological zones were analysed for diversity study both at morphological and molecular levels. Genomic DNA was extracted from young healthy leaves following the procedure of Doyle and Doyle [Doyle, J.J., Doyle, J.L., 1990. A rapid DNA isolation procedure from small quantity of fresh leaf material. Phytochem. Bull. 119, 11–15]. Pair-wise comparison of genotypes was calculated as per the procedure of Jaccard [Jaccard, P., 1908. Nouvelles recherches sur la distribution florale. Bull. Soc. Vaud. Sci. Nat. 44, 223–270]. Dendrogram was constructed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) and the computation for multivariate analysis was done using the computer programme NTSYS-pc Version 2.0 [Rohlf, F.J., 1998. NTSYS-pc Numerical Taxonomy and Multivariate Analysis System, Version 2.01. Exeter Software, Setauket, NY, USA]. Diversity based on yield related traits and molecular analysis was not in consonance with ecological distribution. Among 116 random decamer primers screened 29 were polymorphic and informative enough to analyse these genotypes. A total of 208 markers generated of which 76 (36.50%) were polymorphic and the number of bands per primer was 7.17 out of them 2.62 were polymorphic. Pair-wise genetic distance (GD) based on molecular analysis ranged from 0.07 to 0.50 suggesting a wide genetic base for the genotypes. The clustering pattern based on yield related traits and molecular variation was different.     

Molecular identification and genetic analysis for 24 turf-type Cynodon cultivars by Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism markers

Bermudagrass (Cynodon ssp.) germplasm is genetically diverse and widely distributed in the world. The study was conducted to identify and assess the molecular variation and relationship among 24 cultivars developed in China, Australia and the USA. Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) was applied to cultivars identification in this study for the first time. Thirty of the 90 SRAP primer combinations generated a total of 274 clearly bands encompassing 249 (91%) polymorphic. Each bermudagrass cultivar has its unique binary code and can be distinguished from the others. Three distinct clusters were obtained by unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages based on the polymorphic markers. Coefficients of genetic distance among the genotypes ranged from 0.57 to 0.97. The results demonstrated that SRAP marker is a stable molecular marker technique for the identification of bermudagrass cultivars and their genetic relationships.     

Assessment of diversity in Podophyllum hexandrum by genetic and phytochemical markers

For successful conservation and domestication of a species, evaluation of its genetic diversity by different markers is important. Morphological characteristics, phytochemical variation and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles were generated in different accessions of Podophyllum hexandrum in order to determine the genetic diversity. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis revealed a high degree of genetic diversity among the accessions used in the study. There was also high diversity in the concentration of marker compounds in the collected samples as revealed by HPLC analysis. It is shown that the approaches used in the work successfully discriminate between the accessions of this species and thus they constitute interesting tools to analyze molecular, biochemical and phenotypic diversity within this species. Similarity measurement using UPGMA followed by cluster analysis resulted in formation of many groups based on geographical distribution that generally reflected expected trends between the genotypes. There were also some important exceptions like PW-S, an accession from Wastoorwan, Khrew showing close resemblance to PG-S and PG-B collected from Gulmarg but grown at two different gene banks at Srinagar and Bonera. Further an accession PSH-B from Keller was significantly diverse from the rest of the native genotypes phytochemically, morphologically and at molecular level. RAPD data analysis was found to be significant predictor of phytochemical markers in cultivated P. hexandrum germplasm. Twelve accessions grown in gene bank repository were subjected to RAPD analysis and were assessed for content of podophyllotoxin and podophyllotoxin β-d-glycoside by HPLC. Individual regressions of podophyllotoxin and podophyllotoxin β-d-glycoside by RAPD analysis against HPLC has been found to determine linear values. Strong correlation and a strong association of values of the phytochemical variables and the DNA polymorphism data has been recorded.     

DNA fingerprinting and genetic diversity analysis of late-bolting radish cultivars with RAPD,ISSR and SRAP markers

Three molecular marker systems, RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA), ISSR (inter-simple sequence repeat) and SRAP (sequence-related amplified polymorphism), were employed for identification and genetic diversity analysis of 35 elite late-bolting radish cultivars. Detected by 35 RAPD primers, 22 ISSR primers and 17 SRAP primer combinations, the proportions of polymorphic bands were 85.44%, 85.2% and 85.41%, respectively, and the mean genetic similarity coefficients between pairs of genotypes were 0.781, 0.787 and 0.764, respectively. Each of the three molecular marker systems can identify all the cultivars. Five sets of three-RAPD primers, 3 sets of three-ISSR primers and 16 sets of three-SRAP primer combinations were able to distinguish all the cultivars. A linear relationship was observed between Resolving power (Rp) of a primer and its ability to distinguish genotypes. The 35 cultivars were clustered into three major groups based on the RAPD, ISSR and marker combination data with UPGMA, which are in high accordance with their own origins and main characteristics. The results demonstrated that these three marker systems could be useful for identification and genetic diversity analysis of radish cultivars.     

Assessment of genetic diversity of Latvian and Swedish sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) genetic resources collections by using SSR (microsatellite) markers

Three previously described highly polymorphic SSR (microsatellite) primer pairs were tested on 126 sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) accessions to adapt a fast, reliable method for preliminary screening of sweet cherry germplasm collections and to compare two sweet cherry germplasm collections: at the Latvia State Institute of Fruit-Growing, Dobele (LIFG-Dobele) and at the Division of Horticultural Genetics and Plant Breeding at Balsgård, Department of Crop Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU-Balsgård). The SSR loci were highly polymorphic with 4–10 different alleles and 5–18 genotypes. Heterozygosity values ranged from 0.431 to 0.809, gene diversity (PIC) values ranged from 0.400 to 0.753, and the discriminating power of each locus varied from 0.631 to 0.894. The combined discriminating power of all loci was highly effective (0.996). Sixteen identical accession groups with the same allele profile were discovered in both collections. This study demonstrated that SSR fingerprinting with the three primer pairs tested, can be used for preliminary characterization of sweet cherry germplasm collections.     

Genetic diversity for mineral accumulation in the foliage of Chenopodium spp.

Chenopodium spp. is being used as a leafy vegetable and subsidiary grain crop in different parts of the world due to its rich nutritional quality and its ability to grow in stress conditions. A field experiment was conducted in Lucknow (India) to assess the genetic diversity in 40 accessions of Chenopodium spp. based on mineral composition of the leaves. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the first 4 PCs (Principal Component) accounted for 74.70% of the total variance among the accessions. The first PC (PC1) accounted for 41.96% of the total qualitative variation and had nickel, zinc and chromium with high positive and copper with high negative coefficients. The most important loadings for PC2 were calcium and potassium. Cluster analysis grouped the accessions into 4 major clusters. The first cluster, which showed maximum diversity, had 17 accessions, all of C. quinoa having high content of most of the heavy metals viz. zinc, chromium, nickel and cadmium. Cluster II was the largest consisting of 18 accessions which had low content of nickel, cadmium and chromium. Cluster III contained 3 accessions that had lowest amount of calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc, while accessions in cluster IV were characterized by high levels of calcium, sodium, magnesium, nickel, chromium and cadmium. Significant genotypic differences existed in the heavy metal uptake by plants. Mineral uptake and concentration in Chenopodium spp. corresponds to the taxonomic categorization in the genus and could also be utilized as a supplementary taxonomic tool for grouping together of closely related taxa. Conclusively the diversity can be exploited in plant breeding programs for increasing nutritional value and for bioremediation purposes.