Study of Genetic Diversity Among Crataegus Species (Hawthorn) Using ISSR Markers in Northwestern of Iran

Background: Crataegus spp. (Hawthorn) are used for horticultural and medicinal purposes. Objectives: In the present study, the genetic relationships among the five Iranian Crataegus species were evaluated by Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) molecular marker Methods: PCR reactions were performed using six primers (811, 827, 834, 845, 856, and 868) and genetic similarity was calculated based on Jacquard’s similarity coefficient. Results: Six primers generated 79 products in total, of which 71 were polymorphic (89.9%), with an average of 13.1 bands per primer. The percentage of polymorphic bands ranged from 77 to 100. Primer 856 produced the highest number of bands, while the lowest was generated by primer 845. The Jacquard’s similarity coefficient, derived from ISSR marker analysis, ranged from 0.164 to 0.337, indicating high genetic variation among Crataegus species in Iran. Conclusion: This study provides important data for identifying species relationships and helps develop plant breeding strategies to improve the medicinal properties of this genus in the future.