Classification of germplasm reveals distinct nutritional and agronomic profiles
摘要
Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a valued feed grain and functional food crop, representing a significant agricultural resource in Inner Mongolia. This study evaluated phenotypic variation and identified SRAP molecular markers for 144 oat germplasm accessions over two years to identify superior resources and establish a foundation for molecular marker-assisted selection. Substantial phenotypic diversity was observed, with coefficients of variation exceeding 20% for key traits including β-glucan content, crude fat content, main panicle components, and yield. Cluster analysis classified the germplasm into five distinct groups, identifying valuable parental lines for enhanced nutrition (Cluster I), high protein (Cluster III), and superior yield (Cluster IV). Molecular analysis using 17 SRAP primer combinations generated 101 polymorphic bands, revealing considerable genetic diversity (mean Shannon Information Index I = 0.5478; mean Polymorphic Information Content PIC = 0.3702). Association analysis identified 38 significant marker-trait associations under the GLM and 31 under the MLM (P < 0.05). Critically, this included five markers robustly associated with crude protein content, three with β-glucan content, and seven with yield traits. These identified genetic resources and molecular markers provide valuable tools to accelerate oat breeding programs.