Behavior of genetic diversity in F1 crosses of selected accessions of J. curcas

Distinguishing accessions by their similarity is important for genetic improvement, given their usefulness for increasing and preserving the genetic diversity of crops. Some studies have assessed the similarity between accessions of Jatropha curcas from different regions or origins, but it is not yet clear how the similarity between accessions behaves in crosses, when different accessions are selected as maternal or paternal parents. Thus, this work used ISSR molecular markers to evaluate accessions resulting from the crossing of six parents of different origins. Of the 15 crosses studied, 7 (46%) had greater similarity with their paternal parent, 2 (13%) had greater similarity with the maternal parent and 6 (41%) showed no close similarity to any parent. These results suggest that the similarity between accessions derived from crossings is similar to that found in species such as Gossypium hirsutum, and several cycles of retro-crossing would be needed to maintain the characteristics of a maternal parent.