Unveiling Genetic Diversity of Sri Lankan Avocados using SSR Markers and Morphological Traits

Abstract

Avocado (Persea americana Mill.), a member of the family Lauraceae, is widely recognised as a healthpromoting fruit due to its high content of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which help lower LDL cholesterol levels. Although avocados were introduced to Sri Lanka nearly 200 years ago, the local avocado accessions remain largely uncharacterised. The present study was conducted to characterise 15 avocadoaccessions maintained in the ex-situ germplasm collection at the Fruit Research and Development Institute, Horana, using both molecular and morphological markers. Molecular characterisation was performed using four avocado-specific Short Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers.