Wild fruit species offer significant nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits. Among them, Prunus cerasifera Ehrh. (myrobalan) stands out for its resilience and nutrient-rich fruits, traditionally consumed fresh or dried. This study aimed to assess the morphological and biochemical diversity of 21 wild P. cerasifera accessions from Slovenia, focusing on 18 fruit and stone traits, including size, shape, color, and phenolic compounds such as total monomeric anthocyanins and total phenolic content (TPC). The objective was to identify genotypes with potential for cultivation and food production or as parental components in breeding programs. The results showed variability in fruit length (2.19–2.82 cm), width (2.18–2.99 cm), weight (67.98–150.30 g), firmness, and juiciness, with notable differences in stone characteristics. Phytochemical analysis revealed a wide range of TPC (277–1756 mg/100 g) and anthocyanin levels (0–710 mg/100 g), with higher concentrations in darker fruits. Statistical analysis compared PAM and AGNES clustering methods, finding that PAM with five clusters and AGNES with two clusters provided similar insights. The study emphasized variability in morphological and chemical traits among clusters, with specific accessions showing particularly valuable traits, such as accession RK13, which had high TPC and anthocyanins and a non-adherent stone.

Phenotypic and genotypic variations within the genus Sambucus are limited. They could be efficiently increased by genetic recombination involving different species. The aim of the presented investigation was to assess the possibility of using molecular approach (i.e., microsattelites) in determination of unknown hybrid structures. The study involved 47 Sambucus genotypes (parental species and intespecific hybrids), and six microsatellite loci were analysed. The clustering method grouped the analysed genotypes into four main groups. The first main group involved two sub-groups: one with taxons and hybrids involving S. racemosa (in broad sense) and the other involving two botanical varieties of S. nigra. In the second main group, there was a sub-group involving hybrids between S. javanica and S. nigra, and a sub-group involving F1 hybrids between S. javanica and S. ebulus. The third main group contained a sub-group with hybrids between S. javanica and S. nigra ‘Black Beauty’, a sub-group with hybrids involving S. javanica, S. nigra and S. racemosa (miquelii), a sub-group with backcrosses S. javanica × (S. javanica × S. ebulus), and un unknown hybrid. The fourth main group included a subgroup with F1 hybrids S. javanica × S. ebulus, a sub-group involving various taxons of S. racemosa (in broad sense), and a sub-group involving hybrids between S. cerulea and S. javanica, with and without S. nigra. Our study shows that molecular analysis can be helpful in determining some of the unknown but simple interspecific hybrids of Sambucus. In the cases of complex hybrid combinations, the use of SSRs is most probably not the best solution. Določitev strukture medvrstnih križancev iz rodu Sambucus z uporabo molekulskih markerjev. Fenotipska in genotipska raznolikost znotraj rodu Sambucus je sorazmerno zelo omejena. To raznolikost lahko učinkovito povečamo z medvrstnimi križanji. Namen raziskave je bil uporabiti molekulske markerje (mikrosatelite) za določanje strukture vzorčenih medvrstnih križancev bezga oz. določiti, katere vrste bezga so bile uporabljene pri oblikovanju posameznih medvrstnih križancev. V raziskavo je bilo vključenih 47 genotipov rodu Sambucus (starševske vrste in/ali medvrstni križanci) in uporabljeno je bilo šest mikrosatelitskih lokusov. Metoda združevanja je analizirane genotipe razvrstila v štiri glavne skupine. Prva glavna skupina je vključevala dve podskupini: eno s taksoni in križanci, ki vključujejo S. racemosa (v širšem smislu), druga pa je vključevala dve sorti S. nigra. V drugi glavni skupini je bila podskupina, v kateri so bili križanci med S. javanica in S. nigra, in podskupina, ki jevključevala F1 križance med S. javanica in S. ebulus. Tretja glavna skupina je obsegala podskupino s križanci med S. javanica in S. nigra 'Black Beauty', podskupino s križanci, ki vključujejo S. javanica, S. nigra in S. racemosa (miquelii), podskupino s povratnim križanjem S. javanica × (S. javanica × S. ebulus) in en nedoločljivi medvrstni križanec. Četrta glavna skupina je vključevala podskupino z F1 križanci S. javanica × S. ebulus, podskupino, ki vključuje različne taksone S. racemosa (v širšem smislu), in podskupino, ki vključuje križance med S. cerulea in S. javanica, z in brez S. nigra. Naša raziskava kaže, da je molekulska analiza lahko zelo koristna za določanje nekaterih neznanih, a strukturno enostavnih medvrstnih križancev iz rodu Sambucus. V primeru bolj zapletenih kombinacij medvrstnih križanj pa uporaba mikrosatelitov verjetno ni najboljša rešitev.

The main goal of the Slovene Plant Gene Bank is preservation, maintenance and evaluation of traditional cultivars and other useful genotypes. The Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences houses among other plant materials also numerous accessions of plums (Prunus domestica L.). Duplicates among 15 accessions were studied using six microsatellite primer pairs. These microsatellite markers revealed an average of 7.67 alleles per locus, and a range of 4 to 10 different alleles per locus. The genetic distances between studied accessions were calculated using the Dice coefficient to form a dendrogram. The six SSRs were found to be adequate for differentiating among genotypes within the collection. Among the analysed accessions no duplicates were found.

Raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) are important vegetatively propagated fruit plants. They are used as food, as medicinal plants, and in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. For the protection of intellectual property rights, it is very important to have efficient methods that enable fast and accurate identification of cultivars. Raspberry cultivars can be differentiated in two ways: on the phenotypic level with morphological descriptors and on the molecular level with molecular markers. Among the frequently used are SSRs, which are highly informative, easy to score and have a good genome coverage. Considering 19 previously published SSR molecular markers, we selected the most specific loci for each selected genotype and developed specific fingerprint for each of the genotypes included in the study: four red raspberry cultivars (‘Polka,’ ‘Glen Ample,’ ‘Meeker,’ ‘Rose de Côte d’Or’) and two genotypes named Sicoly and Dieffenbach. The aim of our investigation was to demonstrate the differentiation between studied raspberry genotypes by specific amplified fragment patterns, which were unique for each genotype and were based on simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Furthermore, the developed fingerprints were successfully tested on randomly chosen, unknown genotypes.

Zbirka računskih nalog iz genetike je učno gradivo, namenjeno študentom Fakultete za kmetijstvo in biosistemske vede in Fakultete za naravoslovje in matematiko Univerze v Mariboru pri predmetih iz genetike. V publikaciji so zbrane računske naloge iz poglavij molekulske genetike, transkripcije in translacije, zapisa gamet in potomstva pri križanjih z neodvisnimi in vezanimi geni ter naloge iz računanja frekvenc alelov in genotipov v populacijah. Nekatere naloge pri posameznem poglavju vsebujejo postopek reševanja, pri vseh nalogah pa je na koncu dodan odgovor. Naloge je avtorica zbirala več let svojega poučevanja na fakulteti in so namenjene utrjevanju snovi obravnavane pri predavanjih.

Slovenia has a favorable geographical location that allows the use of sustainable fruit production, which is especially beneficial in the context of global climate change. Efficient breeding programs, resulting in well-adapted cultivars, should include wide genetic resources as new sources of diversity. Due to its adaptability, myrobalan ( Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.) is a promising alternative for plum cultivation. The main objective of this study was to collect new material and investigate the genetic diversity and structure of a local P. cerasifera collection prospected across the country. A total of 42 genotypes were genotyped using a set of 11 simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Relatively high diversity levels were found: the average number of alleles per locus was 10.38, the mean expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.77, the mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) was 0.64, and the mean polymorphic information contain (PIC) was 0.754. In addition, 32 private alleles were detected. A Bayesian analysis identified three ancestral populations, and a clustering analysis mainly grouped the material according to the origin of the accessions. This work provides a valuable insight into the diversity of Slovenian P. cerasifera genetic resources, basis for the selection of new materials suitable for a plum production to face the future global agricultural challenges.