Association Analysis for Stability Parameters in Bread Wheat Using ISSR Markers

Intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were evaluated in order to identify informative markers associated with drought tolerance indices in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes. Eighteen ISSR primers amplified 92 loci among 20 bread wheat genotypes. Polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.46 (UBC-857, UBC-864, UBC-867, is9) to 0.21 (is7), with an average of 2.05. Stepwise regression analysis between molecular data as independent variable, and parametric stability statistics as dependent variables was performed to identify informative markers associated with the parametric stability statistics. Most of the used ISSR primers showed significant association with the parametric stability statistics. Stability statistics included Finlay and Wilkinson’s coefficient of regression, Perkins and Jinks’s coefficient of regression, MBIW, Lin and Binns’s superiority index, SFi and NP (2)i were explained by more primers. ISSR markers, UBC-848, UBC-869 and is5 showed the most association with stability statistics. It is possible to use these markers along with stability statistics in wheat breeding programs for identification of stable genotypes and suitable parents to produce mapping populations. Also, these results could be useful in marker- assisted breeding programs when no other genetic information is available. Some of ISSR markers were associated with more than one trait in multiple regression analysis. Such an association may arise due to pleiotropic effect of the linked quantitative trait locus (QTL) on different traits.