Molecular identification of Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) varieties in Iraq using ITS markers

Abstract

ale ( Brassica oleracea var. acephala ) is a nutrient‑rich leafy vegetable with a long history of use in traditional medicine worldwide. In this study, DNA was extracted from five Iraqi kale cultivars cultivated during the fall season of 2022 at the agricultural research station of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape, Tikrit University, and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions were amplified and sequenced to assess genetic differentiation. To enhance comparative analysis, sequences from seven cultivars originating from different countries were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and aligned with the Iraqi cultivars. Cluster analysis based on these data revealed four major groups. Iraqi cultivars 1, 4, and 5 clustered with cultivars from Korea and India, while Iraqi cultivars 2 and 3 grouped with those from Taiwan and China. The third group comprised cultivars from Spain and Egypt, and the fourth group included only the French cultivar. Nucleotide substitutions and disparity index analysis indicated the highest dissimilarity (0.129%) between Iraqi cultivar 2 and the French cultivar. These findings confirm the utility of ITS markers in detecting genetic differentiation and provide valuable insights for future kale breeding programs.