The use of DNA markers for genetic differentiation of common (Avena sativa L.) and naked oat (Avena nuda L.)

The usefulness of genetic identification of varieties for seed quality analyses becomes important, when we suspect the presence of another variety, species or even genus, based on morphological seed traits in the purity analysis and germination test, With genetic analyses, the doubt about the authenticity of the naked oats (Avena nuda L.) variety 'Kamil' was successfully solved. There were atypical seeds with chaff among the samples of this variety, so it was not possible to confirm with certainty, whether these were seeds of the same species/variety or impurities of common oats (Avena sativa L.). Based on the seed phenotype of the 'Kamil' variety (two independent samples 284 and 285), four sub-samples were prepared (284AN, 284AS, 285AN, 285AS); AN label was the sub-sample with naked seeds and AS label was the sub-sample with chaffed seeds. In addition, another variety ('Noni') and four accessions of common oats (ACC378, ACC379, ACC380, ACC381) from the Slovene Plant Gene Bank were included as common oat standards. A total of 36 plant samples of Avena sp. were included in the genetic differentiation. Using a set of six highly informative SSR markers and the results of diversity parameters at individual loci and paired genetic comparisons, we were able to confirm that the analysed sub-samples belonged to the same variety, i.e. 'Kamil'. In addition, despite the morphological similarity, the chaffed seeds of naked oats variety ‘Kamil’ were sufficiently (genetically) different from the analysed variety and/or accessions of common oats.