Deciphering genotype-by-environment interaction of grass pea genotypes under rain-fed conditions and emphasizing the role of monthly rainfall.

Rainfed regions have inconsistent spatial and temporal rainfall. So, these regions could face water deficiency during critical stages of crop growth. In this regard, multi-environment trials could play a key role in introducing stable genotypes with good performance across several rainfed regions. Grass pea, as a potential forage crop, is a resilient plant that could grow in unsuitable circumstances. In this study, agro-morphological attributes of 16 grass pea genotypes were examined in four semi-warm rain-fed regions during the years 2018-2021. The MLM analysis of variance showed a significant genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) for dry yield, seed yield, days to maturity, days to flowering, and plant height of grass pea. The PLS (partial least squares) regression revealed that rainfall in the grass pea establishment stage (October and November) is meaningful. For grass pea cultivation, monthly rainfall during plant growth is important, especially in May, with an aim for seed yield. Regarding dry yield, G5, G10, G11, G12, G13, and G15 were selected as good performers and stable genotypes using DY × WAASB biplots, while SY × WAASB biplot manifested G2, G3, G12, and G13 as superior genotypes with stable seed yield. Considering equal weights for yield as well as the WAASB stability index (50/50), G13 was selected as the best one. Among test environments, E2 and E11 played a prominent role in distinguishing the above genotypes from other ones. In this study, MTSI (multi-trait stability index) analysis was applied to select a stable genotype, considering all measured agro-morphological traits simultaneously. Henceforth, the G5 and G15 grass pea genotypes were discerningly chosen due to their commendable performance in the WAASBY plot. In this context, G13 did not emerge as the winner based on MTSI; however, it exhibited an MTSI value in close proximity to the outer boundary of the circle. Consequently, upon comprehensive consideration of all traits, it is deduced that G5, G13, and G15 can be appraised as promising superior genotypes with stability across diverse environmental conditions.

Genetic analyses and prediction for lodging­related traits in a diverse Iranian hexaploid wheat collection.

Lodging is one of the most important limiting environmental factors for achieving the maximum yield and quality of grains in cereals, including wheat. However, little is known about the genetic foundation underlying lodging resistance (LR) in wheat. In this study, 208 landraces and 90 cultivars were phenotyped in two cropping seasons (2018-2019 and 2019-2020) for 19 LR-related traits. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomics prediction were carried out to dissect the genomic regions of LR. The number of significant marker pairs (MPs) was highest for genome B in both landraces (427,017) and cultivars (37,359). The strongest linkage disequilibrium (LD) between marker pairs was found on chromosome 4A (0.318). For stem lodging-related traits, 465, 497, and 478 marker-trait associations (MTAs) and 45 candidate genes were identified in year 1, year 2, and pooled. Gene ontology exhibited genomic region on Chr. 2B, 6B, and 7B control lodging. Most of these genes have key roles in defense response, calcium ion transmembrane transport, carbohydrate metabolic process, nitrogen compound metabolic process, and some genes harbor unknown functions that, all together may respond to lodging as a complex network. The module associated with starch and sucrose biosynthesis was highlighted. Regarding genomic prediction, the GBLUP model performed better than BRR and RRBLUP. This suggests that GBLUP would be a good tool for wheat genome selection. As a result of these findings, it has been possible to identify pivotal QTLs and genes that could be used to improve stem lodging resistance in Triticum aestivum L.

Molecular evidence depicts genetic divergence among Agropyron elongatum and A. cristatum accessions from gene pool of Iran.

The genus Agropyron has an important role in soil protection and forage production in rangelands. The investigation utilized 37 ISSR primers, resulting in the detection of 956 loci within the A. elongatum genome and 705 loci within the A. cristatum genome. The findings revealed a high level of polymorphism, with 97% of loci in A. elongatum and 84% of loci in A. cristatum exhibiting variability. Notably, the primer (AC)8GCT emerged as a promising candidate for evaluating genetic diversity due to its ability to amplify numerous loci in both species. Using both the UPGMA algorithm and Bayesian analysis, the examined Agropyron accessions were categorized into two subgroups based on their respective species. The Q values associated with these subgroups suggested that certain accessions, namely "G16," "G19," "G20," "G21," "G22," "G23," "G24," and "G25," displayed potential admixture genomes. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) underscored the significance of within-species variability, which accounted for 69% of the overall diversity, compared to between-species variability at 31%. Various genetic diversity parameters, including Na, Ne, I, He, and the number of private loci, were found to be higher in A. elongatum when compared to A. cristatum. Furthermore, Jaccard similarity coefficients ranged from 0.33 to 0.66 in A. cristatum and from 0.25 to 0.7 in A. elongatum, indicating the extent of genetic relatedness among these species. Intriguingly, the study identified two and three heterotic groups in A. cristatum and A. elongatum, respectively, which could be harnessed in the development of synthetic varieties to exploit heterosis. The results also indicated that a small proportion of ISSR loci pairs (5.2% in A. elongatum and 0.5% in A. cristatum) exhibited significant levels of linkage disequilibrium (LD) (P≤0.05), suggesting the potential utility of LD-based association mapping in Agropyron species. In conclusion, this research sheds light on the genetic diversity of Agropyron species and provides valuable insights into their potential applications in soil protection and forage production, as well as the prospects for enhancing genetic variability and heterosis in these species.

Genetic diversity, linkage disequilibrium, and population structure of tetraploid wheat landraces originating from Europe and Asia.

BACKGROUND: Durum wheat is one of the most important crops, especially in the Mediterranean region. Insight into the genetic diversity of germplasm can improve the breeding program management in various traits. This study was done using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers to characterize the genetic distinctiveness and differentiation of tetraploid wheat landraces collected from nine European and Asian countries. A sum of 23,334 polymorphic SNPs was detected in 126 tetraploid wheat landraces in relation to the reference genome. RESULTS: The number of identified SNPs was 11,613 and 11,721 in A and B genomes, respectively. The highest and lowest diversity was on 6B and 6 A chromosomes, respectively. Structure analysis classified the landraces into two distinct subpopulations (K = 2). Evaluating the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and weighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (WPGMA) clustering results demonstrated that landraces (99.2%) are categorized into one of the two chief subpopulations. Therefore, the grouping pattern did not clearly show the presence of a clear pattern of relationships between genetic diversity and their geographical derivation. Part of this result could be due to the historical exchange between different germplasms. Although the result did not separate landraces based on their region of origin, the landraces collected from Iran were classified into the same group and cluster. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) also confirmed the results of population structure. Finally, Durum wheat landraces in some countries, including Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, were highly diverse, while others, including Iran and China, were low-diversity. CONCLUSION: The recent study concluded that the 126 tetraploid wheat genotypes and their GBS-SNP markers are very appropriate for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) mapping and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The core collection comprises two distinct subpopulations. Subpopulation II genotypes are the most diverse genotypes, and if they possess desired traits, they may be used in future breeding programs. The degree of diversity in the landraces of countries can provide the ground for the improvement of new cultivars with international cooperation. linkage disequilibrium (LD) hotspot distribution across the genome was investigated, which provides useful information about the genomic regions that contain intriguing genes.

Identification and estimation of lodging in bread wheat genotypes using machine learning predictive algorithms.

BACKGROUND: Lodging or stem bending decreases wheat yield quality and quantity. Thus, the traits reflected in early lodging wheat are helpful for early monitoring to some extent. In order to identify the superior genotypes and compare multiple linear regression (MLR) with support vector regression (SVR), artificial neural network (ANN), and random forest regression (RF) for predicting lodging in Iranian wheat accessions, a total of 228 wheat accessions were cultivated under field conditions in an alpha-lattice experiment, randomized incomplete block design, with two replications in two cropping seasons (2018-2019 and 2019-2020). To measure traits, a total of 20 plants were isolated from each plot and were measured using image processing. RESULTS: The lodging score index (LS) had the highest positive correlation with plant height (r = 0.78**), Number of nodes (r = 0.71**), and internode length 1 (r = 0.70**). Genotypes were classified into four groups based on heat map output. The most lodging-resistant genotypes showed a lodging index of zero or close to zero. The findings revealed that the RF algorithm provided a more accurate estimate (R2 = 0.887 and RMSE = 0.091 for training data and R2 = 0.768 and RMSE = 0.124 for testing data) of wheat lodging than the ANN and SVR algorithms, and its robustness was as good as ANN but better than SVR. CONCLUSION: Overall, it seems that the RF model can provide a helpful predictive and exploratory tool to estimate wheat lodging in the field. This work can contribute to the adoption of managerial approaches for precise and non-destructive monitoring of lodging.

Identification of differentially expressed genes in salt-tolerant oilseed sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) genotype by RNA sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is widely planted as an oilseed crop worldwide. Salt stress is one of the major abiotic stresses that negatively affect crop growth and productivity. To counter the negative impact of salt stress, plants have developed avoidance and tolerance mechanisms. Developing salt-tolerant genotypes requires understanding the molecular basis of adaptive mechanisms in depth. Although using model plants i.e., Arabidopsis has improved our understanding of salt tolerant mechanisms, the relative impotence and regulation mechanisms vary among plant species due to differences in genetic and metabolic backgrounds. On the other hand, sunflower is a highly polymorphic plant due to its cross-pollinated behavior which provides different salt-tolerant genotypes available for comparative analyses. METHODS AND RESULTS: In order to gain a better view of molecular mechanisms involved in salt tolerance in sunflower, RNA sequencing analysis was realized by evaluating a tolerant genotype (AS5305) with two biological replicates under control and salt stress conditions in a controlled environment. Salinity stress was applied from NaCl resource at the 8-leaf stage and samplings were done at 24 h post salt stress application. Sequencing data were analyzed using tuxedo software suite. Blast2GO software and the KEGG database were used to identify the functional tasks of each of the assembled transcripts. Analysis of genes with robust expression (i.e., with FPKM > 1 in at least one sample) revealed a total of 121 significantly expressed genes between the saline-stressed and control samples. The differential expression of 11 genes was confirmed by real-time PCR. In the following, the cDNA of MYB44 as one of the selected candidate genes involved in salt tolerance was isolated, cloned, and sequenced for comparison. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results of the current study may pave the way for the accurate selection of genes involved in salinity to be used in molecular-genetics-assisted breeding programs. In addition, making use of the identified genes may help relieve the damages arising from the salt stress in sunflowers.

Discernment of grape rootstocks base on their response to salt stress using selected characteristics in combination with chemometric tools.

In the present study, first, the 19 parameters of 21 grapevine rootstocks under salinity were measured. Then chemometrics methods including principal component analysis (PCA) and quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) were used to select the most significant and responsible characteristics for discrimination of grapevine rootstocks. For QDA, the 19 parameters were arranged in 4 sets. The first set includes total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total anthocyanin content, and free radicals scavenging activity showed 88.10% correct classification. The second set (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, and catalase activity) had 94.64% correct classification. Na+, K+, K+/Na+, electrolyte leakage, and malondialdehyde content parameters were in the third set and had 89.29% correct discrimination. The best discrimination was obtained by the fourth set, including total carbohydrate content, total protein content, proline, glycine-betaine, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b characteristics with 100% correct discrimination.

Characterization of the genetic basis of local adaptation of wheat landraces from Iran and Pakistan using genome-wide association study.

Characterization of genomic regions underlying adaptation of landraces can reveal a quantitative genetics framework for local wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) adaptability. A collection of 512 wheat landraces from the eastern edge of the Fertile Crescent in Iran and Pakistan were genotyped using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism markers generated by genotyping-by-sequencing. The minor allele frequency (MAF) and the heterozygosity (H) of Pakistani wheat landraces (MAF = 0.19, H = 0.008) were slightly higher than the Iranian wheat landraces (MAF = 0.17, H = 0.005), indicating that Pakistani landraces were slightly more genetically diverse. Population structure analysis clearly separated the Pakistani landraces from Iranian landraces, which indicates two separate adaptability trajectories. The large-scale agro-climatic data of seven variables were quite dissimilar between Iran and Pakistan as revealed by the correlation coefficients. Genome-wide association study identified 91 and 58 loci using agroclimatic data, which likely underpin local adaptability of the wheat landraces from Iran and Pakistan, respectively. Selective sweep analysis identified significant hits on chromosomes 4A, 4B, 6B, 7B, 2D, and 6D, which were colocalized with the loci associated with local adaptability and with some known genes related to flowering time and grain size. This study provides insight into the genetic diversity with emphasis on the genetic architecture of loci involved in adaptation to local environments, which has breeding implications.

Salt-Induced Differences During the Gene Expression of Telomerase Enzyme in Sunflower.

BACKGROUND: Salinity is one of the most important environmental stresses which reduces the nutrient uptake, growth and yield of crops including sunflower. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was evaluating the expression pattern of telomerase gene, TERT, in sunflower plants under salinity stress. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sunflower plants of both sensitive and resistant lines were grown in greenhouse and treated with different levels of NaCl (2, 5 and 8 dSm-1). The expression pattern of TERT gene was evaluated at 8th leaf stage 6, 12 and 24 hours post salt treatment using real time-PCR, since the effects of salt stress are eventually manifested in the leaves. RESULTS: In both lines, salt-subjected plants showed reduced size and dried leaves, due to breakthrough of the growth. Compared to the control group, treated groups tended to indicate downregulated pattern of TERT gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers TERT as a new gene affected by salt stress when growth is arrested.

Toward the identification of molecular markers associated with phytochemical traits in the Iranian sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) population.

Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) is one of the important forest species dispersed in the northwest of Iran. It is one of the important spice in Iran and the Middle East because of active components containing organic acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins and terpenoids. This study aimed to investigate population structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD) extent within Rhus coriaria L. genotypes using ISSR markers and identify molecular markers associated with phytochemical traits using association analysis. In the molecular part of the experiment, the genetic diversity of 75 sumac genotypes from five different areas of northwest Iran was assessed by 18 ISSR primers. In the phenotypic assessment, the fruits of the sumac genotypes were analyzed using HPLC-LC/MSMS for determining phytochemical components including maleic acid, ellagic acid, maleic acid hexoside, gallic acid, coumaric acid, quercetin, caftaric acid, and linoleic acid. The phenotypic data analysis revealed the great phenotypic diversity among and within Iranian sumac populations for the studied phytochemical traits. The studied sumac genotypes were divided into two subpopulations based on molecular marker-based structure analysis. A significant level of LD was observed in 11.64% of the ISSR marker pairs (p < .05). The mixed linear model procedure showed that 12 loci had a significant association with investigated traits. The ISSR loci identified in this study can be potentially used in marker-assisted selection in sumac breeding programs.

Association analysis of physiological traits in spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under water-deficit conditions.

In the present study, 148 commercial barley cultivars were assessed by 14 AFLP primer combinations and 32 SSRs primer pairs. Population structure, linkage disequilibrium, and genomic regions associated with physiological traits under drought stress were investigated. The phenotypic results showed a high level of diversity between studied cultivars. The studied barley cultivars were divided into two subgroups. Linkage disequilibrium analysis revealed that r 2 values among all possible marker pairs have an average value of 0.0178. The mixed linear model procedure showed that totally, 207 loci had a significant association with investigated traits. 120 QTLs out of 207 were detected for traits under normal conditions, and 90 QTLs were detected for traits under drought stress conditions. Identified QTLs after validation and transferring to SCAR markers in the case of AFLPs can be used to develop MAS strategies for barley breeding programs. Some common markers were identified for a particular trait or some traits across normal and drought stress conditions. These markers show low interaction with environmental conditions (stable markers); therefore, selection by them for a trait under normal conditions will improve the trait value under stress conditions, too.

Fe2 O3 nanoparticles induced biochemical responses and expression of genes involved in rosmarinic acid biosynthesis pathway in Moldavian balm under salinity stress.

The effect of iron oxide nanoparticle (NP) at four concentrations (0, 30, 60 and 90 ppm) and salinity at three levels (0, 50 and 100 mM) were investigated on rosmarinic acid (RA) production in 5-week-old Moldavian balm (Dracocephalum moldavica L.) plants. Salinity and spraying iron oxide NPs significantly affected tyrosine (Tyr), phenylalanine (Phe) and proline (Pro) amino acids content, Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase (PAL), Tyrosine Aminotransferase (TAT) and Rosmarinic Acid Synthase (RAS) genes expression levels, RA content, Polyphenol Oxidase (PPO), PAL and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) activities, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity. PAL, TAT and RAS genes expression rate and content of RA were enhanced in Moldavian balm plants exposed by NaCl + NPs. The results of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed that simultaneous application of 50 mM NaCl and 90 ppm NPs increases the RA content in leaf by 81.15% as compared to control plants. The Tyr and Phe contents decreased in Moldavian balm plants exposed to salt stress. Application of NPs had a positive effect on the content of these amino acids. Proline content increased under salinity stress and application of iron NPs induced a significant increase in the Pro content of leaf. The results revealed that PAL, PPO and SOD enzymes activities increased under salinity conditions. The highest activity of PPO and SOD was observed in 100 mM NaCl + 60 ppm NPs treatment. Simultaneous application of 100 mM NaCl + 90 ppm NPs increased the MDA content and DPPH radical scavenging activity compared to control plants. It can be concluded that the application of appropriate levels of NPs moderates the effect of salinity stress in D. moldavica L. and results in an increased amount of RA compared to control plants.

Identification of SSR and retrotransposon-based molecular markers linked to morphological characters in oily sunfl ower (Helianthus annuus L.) under natural and water-limited states.

Sunflower is an important source of edible oil. Drought is known as an important factor limiting the growth and productivity of field crops in most parts of the world. Agricultural biotechnology mainly aims at developing crops with higher tolerance to the challenging environmental conditions, such as drought. This study examined a number of morphological characters, along with relative water content (RWC) in 100 inbred sunflower lines. A 10 × 10 simple lattice design with two replications was employed to measure the mentioned parameters under natural and water-limited states during two successive years. In molecular trial, 30 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primer pairs, as well as 14 inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP) and 14 retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism (REMAP) primer combinations were used for DNA fingerprinting of the lines. Most of the examined characters had lower average values under water-limited than natural states. Maximum and minimum reductions were observed in the cases of yield and oil percentage, respectively. The broad-sense heritabilities for all the examined characters were 0.20-0.73 and 0.10-0.34 under natural and water-limited states, respectively. In the studied samples, 8.97% of the 435 possible locus pairs of the SSRs represented significant linkage disequilibrium (LD) levels. In the association analysis using SSR markers, 22 and 21 markers were identified (P ≤ 0.05) for the studied characters under natural and water-limited states, respectively. The corresponding values were 50 and 37 using retrotransposon-based molecular markers. Some detected markers were communal between the characters under water-limited and natural states. This was in line with the phenotypic correlations detected between the characters. Communal markers facilitate the simultaneous selection of several characters and can thus improve the efficacy of selection based on markers in the plant-breeding activities.

Antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition of leaves from 10 Bene (Pistacia atlantica subsp. kurdica) genotypes.

Leaves of 10 Bene genotypes were collected from six provinces (West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Hamedan and Lorestan) in Iran. This study was carried out to better characterise the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition, as well as to evaluate the correlation between content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in 10 genotypes of Bene. The antioxidant activity of leaf extracts was measured using different assays: ferric reducing antioxidant power, nitric oxide radical scavenging and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. The results indicated that the antioxidant capacity can be related to total phenolic and flavonoid content, so that among all the genotypes studied here, the highest and the lowest phenolic content and antioxidant activity were observed in B2 and B10 genotypes, respectively. Analysing the phenolic composition using high performance liquid chromatography, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid and sinapic acid were found in all investigated genotypes.

Antioxidant activity of different parts of Pistacia khinjuk Stocks fruit and its correlation to phenolic composition.

The fruits of Pistacia khinjuk Stocks were collected from Ilam province, Iran. The aim of this study was to analyse antioxidant capacity and phenolic composition of different parts of P. khinjuk fruit. The antioxidant capacity of extracts was measured using different assays: ferric reducing ability of plasma, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and nitric oxide radical scavenging. The phenolic composition of P. khinjuk fruit is reported for the first time. Amongst different parts of the fruit analysed in this study, hull extract contained the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents. We observed a high correlation between different antioxidant activity and total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Therefore, antioxidant capacity can be related to total phenolic and flavonoid contents. A correlation analysis revealed that ascorbic acid, gallic acid, rutin, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and sinapic acid were the phenolic compounds mainly responsible for antioxidant power of the fruit extracts.

Antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of different parts of Bene (Pistacia atlantica subsp. kurdica) fruits.

Five genotypes of Bene were collected from West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah and Ilam provinces, Iran. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined and antioxidant activity of the extracts were measured using different assays: FRAP, nitric oxide radical scavenging and DPPH. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the hull extracts were significantly higher than shell and kernel extracts. In hull extracts, positive correlation coefficient was observed between total phenolic content and FRAP (R(2) = 0.98) and DPPH (R(2) = 0.66) assays. The results showed that, the highest antioxidant activity of hull extract may be attributed to higher total phenolic content. Analyzing the phenolic composition using HPLC, sinapic acid, vanillic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were found in hull and shell extracts of all genotypes. Among all the genotypes studied here, B4 showed the highest phenolic content and antioxidant activity.

Detection of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi using microscopic and molecular methods in horses in suburb of Urmia, Iran.

Equine piroplasmosis is a severe disease of horses caused by the intra-erythrocyte protozoan, Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. The aim of this study was to identify equine piroplasmosis based on molecular and morphometrical features in horses in suburb of Urmia, West Azerbaijan province, Iran. From April to September 2011, a total number of 240 blood samples were collected randomly from horses of 25 villages. The specimens were transferred to the laboratory and the blood smears stained with Geimsa, and the morphological and biometrical data of parasite in any infected erythrocyte were considered. Extracted DNA from each blood sample was used in multiplex PCR in order to confirm the presence of B. caballi and T. equi. Microscopic observation on 240 blood smears determined that 15 (6.25%) and 5 (2.80%) samples were infected by T. equi and B. caballi, respectively. The mixed infections occurred in 2 (0.83%) samples. The results of the PCR assays showed 26 (10.83%), 14 (5.83%) and 4 (1.66%) were distinguished as T. equi, B. caballi and mixed infection, respectively. Differences in infection rates were statistically nonsignificant between male and female horses and among different age groups. Our findings indicated that T. equi and B. caballi were prevalent in horse population.

Retrotransposon insertional polymorphism in Iranian bread wheat cultivars and breeding lines revealed by IRAP and REMAP markers.

Inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphisms (IRAPs) and retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphisms (REMAPs) were used to detect retrotransposon integration events and genetic diversity in 101 Iranian bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars and breeding lines. The 9 IRAP primers amplified 128 loci, and 20 REMAP primers amplified 263 loci. Percentage of polymorphic loci, average expected heterozygosity, number of effective alleles, and Shannon's information index for the REMAP markers were slightly higher than those for the IRAP markers. The same estimated parameters calculated for native and nonnative retrotransposons were not considerably different. A Mantel test between IRAP and REMAP cophenetic matrices evidenced no significant correlation. Cluster analysis based on the Dice similarity coefficient and complete linkage algorithm using IRAP+REMAP loci identified five groups among the genotypes studied that could be applied as crossing parents in T. aestivum breeding programs.