201 Pomegranate Molecular Characterization through AFLP and Newly Identified SSR Markers S. La Malfa, M. Caruso and A. Gentile Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Agrarie e Alimentari Università degli Studi di Catania Catania Italy Ş. Birceyudum Eman, Y. Aka-Kaçar and A. Ozguven Department of Horticulture Cukurova University Balcali, Adana Turkey Keywords: Punica granatum, biodiversity, microsatellites, minor fruit tree species Abstract Among the minor fruit tree species, pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has recently gained agronomic, commercial and scientific interest. With the general aim of fingerprinting pomegranate accessions from the Mediterranean area, Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers were used to estimate intra-specific genetic diversity among 33 genotypes coming from Sicily, Spain and Turkey, cultivated in the collection fields of Catania University in Sicily (Italy) and Cukurova University in Adana (Turkey). Seven EcoRI/MseI primer combinations were used, generating 121 polymorphic markers which unequivocally discriminated all the tested genotypes. The subsequent UPGMA analysis based on the Dice coefficient, clearly revealed the degree of genetic diversity among the genotypes; those found in Sicily showed a high heterogeneity since some of them clustered with the Spanish ones, while others (such as the most diffused Italian cultivar ‘Dente di cavallo’ and a promising selection named ‘Primosole’) appeared to be nearest to the Turkish germplasm. The analysis added new information regarding the level of genetic diversity among the most commonly cultivated cultivars in the three countries. Moreover, the 33 genotypes were analyzed using a new set of pomegranate microsatellites, but the low level of poly- morphisms did not allow discrimination among all the genotypes. INTRODUCTION Pomegranate (P. granatum L.) is a fruit tree species traditionally included in the monogeneric family Punicaceae, which consists of only two species: pomegranate and P. protopunica Balf. f., an endangered species from Socotra, Republic of Yemen. However, recent molecular phylogenetic analyses supported the inclusion of Punica within the Lythraceae family (Huang and Shi, 2002). The origin of the species is supposed to be in central Asia; from there it was introduced into several areas with different environmental and climatic conditions (Middle East, Asia, Mediterranean countries, USA, South and Central America). Recently Holland and Bar-Ya’akov (2008) estimated an annual world production of about 1.5 million tons of which about 90% is obtained from Iran, India and China. In the Mediterranean countries, pomegranate has been widely spread and used for centuries, leading to the diffusion of several local cultivars. In Italy, pomegranate is mainly produced in Sicily, where it is cultivated in a few regular plantations or as scattered trees in traditional fruit orchards. Here, the main cultivated cultivar is ‘Dente di Cavallo’, which is actually a group of clones which differ by seed hardness and harvest period (Bellini et al., 2010). Spain represents the main European producer. Spanish production is mainly located in Alicante and Murcia provinces and ‘Mollar de Elche’ is the most common cultivar (Melgarejo et al., 1999). In Turkey there are 43 registered pomegranate cultivars, ‘Hicaznar’, ‘Silifke aşisi’, ‘Katirbaşi’ and ‘Izmir 1513’ being widely planted (Ozguven et al., 2009). Although the Mediterranean area is considered the second centre of diversification of the species (Levin, 1994), little is known about the real level of diversity of Italian and Spanish germplasm and its relationship with the gene pools of the eastern Mediterranean. Proc. XXVIII th IHC – IS on the Challenge for a Sustainable Production, Protection and Consumption of Mediterranean Fruits and Nuts Eds.: A.M. D’Onghia et al. Acta Hort. 940, ISHS 2012