Morphological characterization and genetic variability assessment with ssr markers in several tomato genotypes

A complete morphological description of the tomato genotypes is necessary either for the new cultivars under approval, or for the recommendation of proper tomato cultivars in certain cultural conditions. In this study, the morphological and molecular diversity of 13 tomato genotypes were analyzed to identify distinctness among them. The genetic diversity was evaluated with 8 SSR markers. The efficiency of these markers to reveal the genetic differences with tomato genotypes was proven by: a mean number of scorable bands per marker of 6.62, of which 81.5% were polymorphic bands and the polymorphic information content of 0.764. The cluster analysis grouped the 13 tomato genotypes into two distinct clusters, depending on their type of growth, and inside each group in correlation with parental origin. The evaluation of the relevant characteristics with specific descriptors demonstrated the differences between the genotypes analyzed in terms of their type of growth and the different aspects of the leaves and fruits. Combining the morphological description with molecular methods proved to be efficient for the assessment of distinctiveness among analyzed tomatoes and necessary for documented recommendations for tomato growers.