Abstract

variation is essential for the efficient selection of superior plant material for breeding, an adequate management of genetic resources, and the effective preservation of biodiversity. In Iran, despite wide geographical occurrence no report is available on genetic diversity of turfgrass populations and their similarity with accessions of other countries. Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) was used to detect, genetic diversity and relationships of 42 wild populations of Festuca arundinacea, F. pratensis, F. rubra, F. ovina, Lolium perenne, L. rigidum, Bromus tomentellus and Agropyron cristatum.  The number of amplified products ranged from 11 to 78 per primer combination and a total of 497 markers were scored. Jaccardõ s genetic similarity coefficient between populations ranged from 0.15 (between A. cristatum and L. rigidum) to 0.88 (between two populations of F. arundinacea) showing high level of inter and intraspecific genetic diversity. Both the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic average (UPGMA) dendrogram and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) clearly demonstrate differences in the degree of similarity between taxonomic units and separated species into distinct groups. Results indicated that there is a broad genetic diversity among Iranian turfgrass that can be exploited in breeding programs.