Abstract: [Objective] Armeniaca sibirica is an important ecological and economic tree species. Its germplasm resources are very abundant. Identification and classification through morphological characteristics are difficult. In this paper, genetic diversity of superior clones of A. sibirica was analyzed and the fingerprints were constructed using SSR markers in order to provide a scientific basis for germplasm identification.[Method] Based on the results of simplified genome sequencing of A. sibirica, 600 pairs of SSR primers were synthesized, and screened for four A. sibirica clones. A total of 155 pairs of primers with clear bands were selected and used for PCR amplification for the 97 A. sibirica clones. The fingerprints were constructed by primer combination method and cluster analysis was carried out using UPGMA.[Result] Using 155 pairs of SSR primers, a total of 933 alleles were generated in the 97 A. sibirica clones. The number of alleles at each locus ranged from 3 to 11, with an average of 6.019. PIC of these loci ranged from 0.476 to 0.885, with an average of 0.681, indicating that the 155 loci were highly polymorphic. A total of 50 A. sibirica clones had specific alleles at 59 loci, and 89 clones had specific genotypes at 131 loci. All the 97 clones could be distinguished by the combination of primer L56, X47H, L79H, P40H and X47, and the fingerprints were constructed with the combinations. Genetic relationships of the 97 A. sibirica clones were analyzed, and the genetic similarity coefficients between the clones ranged from 0.669 to 0.943, with a mean of 0.757. Clustering analysis based on genetic similarity coefficients showed that the 97 clones could be divided into five categories, and the first category and the second category could be divided into three sub-categories respectively, which was consistent to a considerable extent with the clone origins.[Conclusion] In this study, 155 pairs of SSR primers were selected from 600 pairs, and the amplified loci had high polymorphism and good repeatability. It was found that 89 clones had specific genotypes, of which 50 had both specific genotypes and specific alleles. The fingerprints were constructed by the combination of 5 pairs of primers. The genetic differences among the clones were not significant, and the relationships among them were close. The results provide a scientific basis for germplasm identification of A. sibirica and lay a foundation for breeding of the species.

Key words: Armeniaca sibirica, clone, SSR, genetic diversity, fingerprint