Assessment of Genetic Diversity Among Chinese High-Oleic Peanut Genotypes Using Miniature Inverted-Repeat Transposable Element Markers

Abstract As compared with normal-oleic peanut, high-oleic peanut proved to be heart-healthier, and had prolonged shelf life and extended seed longevity. However, there have concerns about the genetic diversity of present-day high-oleic peanut cultivars, which relied heavily on high-oleic donors with F435 type FAD2 mutations. In the study, a total of 104 high-oleic peanut cultivars/lines/mutants from main breeding teams in China were used to assess their genetic diversity with AhMITE markers. Of all the 31 cultivars tested, those from CTW team had the highest genetic variability. Again, of all the 73 lines studied, those from CTW team ranked first in genetic diversity. As compared with cultivars from CTW and C&Y teams, greater genetic diversity was detected in new lines of both teams, indicating that recent breeding efforts had resulted in improved genetic diversity in high-oleic peanut.