Inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) polymorphism was used to determine genetic relationships among 75 Sesamum indicum L. accessions of Korean and exotic sesame. Fourteen reliable ISSR primers were selected for the assessment of genetic diversity, yielding 79 amplification products. Of these polymerase chain reaction products, 33% revealed polymorphism among the 75 accessions. Genetic distances ranged from 0 to 0.255, with a mean genetic distance of 0.0687. The 75 accessions were divided into seven groups on the basis of unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) cluster analysis. The largest group consisted of 25 Korean cultivars, eight Korean breeding lines and 17 world-wide accessions. The other groups included 25 accessions, several of which contained useful traits. The dendrogram did not indicate any clear division among sesame accessions based on their geographical origin. However, all Korean sesame cultivars except 'Namsankkae' were clustered in the same group, indicating a narrow gene pool. Some of the Korean breeding lines were spread along the dendrogram, showing enlargement of genetic diversity. The genetic diversity data uncovered in this study can be used in future breeding programmes.

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