ERWERBS-OBSTBAU, vol.64, pp.55-63, 2022 (SCI-Expanded)
Turkey is within the region where the viticulture has been traditionally practiced since ancient times. The Cappadocia location, including the province of Kayseri, is an important grape production area with its autochthonous grape cultivars and unique tradition in history. Due to viticulture history, this region is rich in vine genetic resources. This survey study was carried out in vineyards areas and residential gardens in 23 different regions of Kayseri province between 2017 and 2019. A total of 174 local genotypes from different locations were determined and were further examined through molecular characterization with SSR markers. A total of 112 bands were amplified by 12 SSR primers, all of which were polymorphic with a 100% polymorphism. The highest number of polymorphic bands (18) was produced by the primer Scu8vv, while the lowest number of polymorphic bands (3) was found in VMC8D3 and VMC8E6. An UPGMA dendrogram was created via scoring the bands and the genetic similarity between the genotypes was determined between 0.63-1.0. In conclusion, a wide range of genetic diversity was determined in grapes of Kayseri indicating an ancient residential germplasm collection that could be used for breeding studies.