Molecular-Genetic Characterization of Common Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.)
Nazakat Huseynova 
Abstract. Studies were conducted on seven quince cultivars in the northern and northwestern regions of Azerbaijan. The investigation into the intraspecific genetic diversity and structure of the quince species was based on the analysis of seven quince genotypes across eight ISSR loci. A total of 69 bands were generated using ISSR markers; of these, 47 (69.4%) were polymorphic, while 22 (30.6%) were monomorphic. The UBC868 primer yielded 9 bands, 8 of which were polymorphic, resulting in a polymorphism rate of 89%. The number of amplified fragments per locus ranged from 7 to 10. Comprehensive analysis of the quince collection using these eight ISSR markers revealed a high level of heterozygosity in hybrid seedlings compared to expected values, indicating significant genetic distance between the parental pairs selected for hybridization. It is recommended to use the UBC 868, UBC 807, and UBC 825 ISSR primers for the assessment of polymorphism and genetic diversity in the quince collection, as they are more effective.
Keywords: quince, DNA markers, genetic diversity, genome, gene pool