Inter-primer binding site (iPBS) retrotransposon markers provide insights into the genetic diversity and population structure of carrots (Daucus, Apiaceae)

: Studies of genetic diversity and population structure are essential as an initial step in conservation and breeding programsfor modern crops. Carrot (Daucus spp.) is among the ten most important vegetables worldwide, however, its genetic structure andphylogenetic relationships are not totally deciphered. Here, we explored the utility of 21 inter-primer binding site (iPBS) retrotransposonmarkers to determine the genetic diversity and population structure of 38 accessions of Daucus and one accession of a related genus. Themanual scoring revealed 309 bands based on their presence/absence. The dendrogram based on the UPGMA clustering algorithm anda principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) indicated the presence of four clusters. The Daucus species with 2n=18 chromosome (subcladeA´) separated from the other two species D. pusillus and D. muricatus, which were positioned into two individual clusters. The otherclade includes the Daucus from the B group. It was also noticed that few accessions were intermixed amongst clusters. Different geneticdiversity parameters were estimated based on the four clusters (populations) defined by STRUCTURE software, demonstrating thatclusters 3 and 4 possessed the lowest and highest diversity values, respectively. AMOVA showed variation between and within clustersof 41.85% and 58.15%, respectively. The highest population divergence (Fst) was observed between clusters 2 and 3 (0.579), on the otherhand, clusters 1 and 4 depicted the lowest Fst with 0.160. Our research highlighted that iPBS markers were successful and effective to studyDaucus genetic diversity. These results will contribute to the genetic improvement of carrots and sustainable management of its diversity