Heterotic Grouping of 70 Maize Inbred Lines by SSR Markers

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers were adopted in heterotic grouping of 70 elite maize inbred lines. Sixty four SSR primers giving stable amplified profiles detected 248 alleles among the lines tested. The average number of alleles per SSR locus was 3.88 with a range from 2 to 9. The value of polymorphism information content (PIC) for each SSR Locus varied from 0.13 to 0.88 with an average of 0.523. The UPGMA analysis classified 70 inbred lines into 6 clusters, which corresponded to the heterotic groups determined by their pedigree information and breeder's experiences (i.e. Sipingtou, Luda Red Cob, PA, PB, BSSS and Lancaster).