Mariya Zhelyazkova1, Veselina Badzhelova2, Svetlana Georgieva1, Lyudmila Lozanova3, Peter Hristov3 and Stela Lazarova3
1 Trakia University, Faculty of Agriculture, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
2 Agricultural Academy, Institute for Roses and Aromatic Plants, 6100 Kazanlak, Bulgaria
3 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Zhelyazkova, M., Badzhelova, V., Georgieva, S., Lozanova, L., Hristov, P. & Lazarova, S. (2024). Genetic diversity assessment of selected rose genotypes using CEAP markers. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 30 (Supplement 1), 144–151
Bulgaria has a long-standing tradition of cultivating medicinal and aromatic plants, especially oil-bearing roses. Research on the genetic diversity of local rose populations using DNA markers is crucial for conservation and breeding applications. In this study, we used cis-еlement amplified polymorphism (CEAP) markers to assess the genetic diversity and relationships among eight Rosa genotypes, including two varieties of Rosa damascena Mill., Rosa sp. and five other species (R. alba L.,
R. canina L., R. gallica L., R. centifolia L., and R. moschata Herrm.), mostly sourced from the collection of Institute for Roses and Aromatic Plants. Sixteen CEAP primers targeting seven cis-elements produced 201 bands, of which 78% were polymorphic, indicating a significant genetic variation. Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) values ranged from 0.12 to 0.88, with an average of 0.56. Genetic diversity indicators, such as Shannon’s Information Index (I = 0.6) and expected heterozygosity (He = 0.4), confirmed a high level of variability. CEAP markers also identified unique loci for specific genotypes. Rosa damascena, R. gallica, R. ‘raduga’ and R. canina showed greater genetic similarity, while R. moschata, R. centifolia, and R. alba were more distantly related.
Our study provides the first evidence of the utility and effectiveness of the CEAP markers in analysing genetic diversity across different Rosa genotypes, providing valuable data for future breeding programs. This research highlights the importance of genetic resource conservation and extend our knowledge on the genetic structure of oil-bearing Rosa species in Bulgaria.