AFLP analysis and zebra disease resistance identification of 40 sisal genotypes in China

Sisal is the most important fiber crop in tropical and subtropical areas in China and the world. Zebra disease is a serious threat to the main cultivar Agave hybrid No.11648 (H.11648) worldwide. To select germplasm materials with zebra disease resistance for breeding, the fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique was used to make a cluster analysis of the genetic relationships of 40 sisal genotypes grown in China, and Phytophthora nicotianae was used to inoculate the 40 genotypes to identify their resistance to zebra disease. As a result, the similarity coefficient among 40 sisal genotypes was found to be 0.44–0.83 and the 40 genotypes show different levels of disease resistance. According to the AFLP analysis, the disease resistance and chromosomal ploidy, it can be reasoned that, A . attenuata var. marginata , Dong 109, Nan ya 1 and A . attenuata are suitable for hybridization with H.11648 to breed a new disease-resistant variety.