Genetic Variation of Inbred Lines of Maize Detected by SSR Markers

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were used to detect genetic variation among 21 maize(Zea mays L. ) inbred lines. Forty-three SSR primers selected from 69 primers gave stable amplification profiles, which could be clearly resolved on 3% Metaphor agarose gel, and produced 127 polymorphic amplified fragments.The average number of alleles per SSR locus was 2.95 with a range from 2 to 7. The polymorphism information content (PIC) for the SSR loci varied from 0.172 to 0.753 with an average of 0.511. Genetic similarities among the 21 lines ranged from 0.480 between the combination of Zhongzi451 vs. K12 up to 0.768 between CA156 vs. Ye478. The cluster analysis showed that 21 inbred lines could be classified into two distinct clusters with several subclusters, which corresponded to the heterotic groups determined by their pedigree information.Eight SSR primers, which had high level of polymorphism, could allow a rapid and efficient identification of 21 inbreds. Consequently, SSR markers could be used for measuring genetic variation of maize inbred lines and assigning them to heterotic groups.