Genetic characterization of grape (Vitis vinifera L.) germplasm from Southeast Anatolia by SSR markers

Southeast Anatolia is located in close proximity to the center of origin of grapes and is an important grape producing area of Turkey. The important location of this region for grape genetic diversity together with its diverse ecological conditions may have led to the development of grape germplasm that is unique to this region. However, so far little has been done to genetically analyze this grape germplasm. In this study, we genetically analyzed 55 grape cultivars originating from six different provinces of this region using 14 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci and a number of ampeolographic characteristics. Based on these analyses, one case of synonymous and four cases of homonymous grape cultivars were identified. The contribution of our results to better characterization of the grape germplasm of the region as well as future germplasm management and breeding efforts is discussed.