Zoysia spp. are warm‐season turfgrass species widely used in the transition zone and southern regions of the United States for their superior heat tolerance and relatively low input requirements. A better understanding of the levels of genetic diversity present in Zoysia germplasm could aid in the utilization of these materials in future breeding efforts. The objective of this study was to compare levels of molecular diversity within and among Zoysia spp. {Z. japonica Steud., Z. matrella (L.) Merr., Z. machrostachya Franch. & Sav., Z. minima (Colenso) Zotov, Z. pacifica (Goudswaard) M. Hotta & Kuroki [syn. Z. matrella (L.) Merr. var. pacifica Goudswaard], and Z. sinica Hance} and germplasm types (cultivars, plant introductions, and collections). Two hundred and forty‐one Zoysia accessions from public and private sources were genotyped with 12 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) primer pairs. Five hundred and fifty‐two polymorphic AFLP loci were scored. Genetic similarity values (Sij) among genotypes ranged from 0.60 to 0.81, with the average being 0.68. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) results indicated that 28 and 54% of the total AFLP variation could be explained by differences among and within species, respectively. Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averaging (UPGMA) cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis (PCO) identified high levels of similarity among all genotypes. Analyses revealed that individuals from the same species type occasionally failed to cluster into one distinct group, reflecting a predominantly outcrossing mating system and high levels of gene flow among the species types studied. Understanding the distribution of genetic diversity within and among Zoysia spp. may enhance cultivar development efforts.
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Kimball et al. (2011) studied this question.
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