Microsatellite analyses for evaluation of genetic diversity among Sicilian grapevine cultivars

A total of 82 grapevine genotypes were
sampled from several areas of the Italian region of
Sicily where vineyards are widely spread. The
grapevines were characterized using six microsatellite
markers (VVS2, VVMD5, VVMD7, VVMD27,
VrZAG62 and VrZAG79) to evaluate genetic diversity.
Thirty-seven of the 82 cultivars sampled had
their names quoted in historical and literary sources,
while 45 cultivars from old vineyards did not have
their names reported in ancient literature. According
to their genetic profiles at SSR loci, 70 different
cultivars were found, while interesting cases of
synonymies (Regina and Moscato bianco, Alicante
and Dolcetta or among different clones of Zibibbo
and Catarratto) and cases of homonymy (Frappato
and Nerello Mascalese) were discovered. Several
genetic parameters were calculated to assess the
efficacy of the loci chosen in this work. Pairwise
genetic distances between all cultivars were calculated.
A dendrogram representing the genetic similarities
among cultivars was depicted using the
UPGMA method to investigate their relationships,
explaining them from a historical point of view. The
cluster distribution of cultivars clearly does not
reflect their current geographical distribution, suggesting
successive introductions of cultivars in Sicily
from different areas of origin.