Seed traits, nutrient elements and assessment of genetic diversity for almond (Amygdalus spp.) endangered to China as revealed using SRAP markers

Almond (Amygdalus spp.) is one of the most important nut fruits worldwide and its seed has been recognized as a health nutrient supply for human consumption. In this study, we characterized the major seed traits and fruit nutrient elements among four Chinese wild almonds (Amygdalus mongolica Maxim., Amygdalus pedunculata Pall., Amygdalus tangutica Batal., and Amygdalus triloba (Lindl) Ricker.) in addition to commercial two cultivars (Amygdalus communis L.), as well as their genetic diversity and natural variations using SRAP marker, aiming at exploiting valuable traits for breeding new cultivars. Our results show that the wild almond species are rich in crude fat, Ca, Ma, Fe and Zn compared to the cultivars analyzed. Our study also identified a relatively high level of genetic diversity (h = 0.3363, I = 0.5075) among species analyzed as evidenced by fact that 161 out of a total of 162 bands amplified with fourteen SRAP primer combinations reveal polymorphism among species analyzed. AMOVA analysis reveals a high level of genetic differentiation among populations (ΦST = 0.4474) but The UPMGA cluster analysis indicates that A. communis and A. mongolica are more closely related. Potential utilization of the wild almond species and their valuable traits for breeding new cultivars is discussed.