Determining the appropriate parents for breeding programs is the most important decision that plant breeders must make to maximize the genetic variability and produce excellent recombinant genotypes. Several methods are used to identify genotypes with desirable phenotypic features for breeding experiments. In this study, five kalanchoe genotypes were morphologically characterized by assessing plant height, number of inflorescences, number of flowers, flower length, flower diameter and number of petals. The analysis showed the distinction of yellow kalanchoe in the plant height trait, while the orange kalanchoe was distinguished in the number of inflorescences, the number of flowers and flower length traits, whereas the violet kalanchoe possessed the largest flower diameter and the highest number of petals. The molecular profiling was performed by random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD), inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tools. Genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves and the PCR reactions were performed using ten primers for each SCoT, ISSR and RAPD marker. Only four out of ten primers showed amplicon profiles in all PCR markers. A total of 70 bands were generated by SCoT, ISSR and RAPD-PCR with 35 polymorphic bands and 35 monomorphic bands. The total number of bands of RAPD, ISSR and SCoT was 15, 17 and 38, respectively. The polymorphism percentages achieved by RAPD, ISSR and SCoT were 60.25%, 15% and 57%, respectively. The cluster analysis based on morphological data revealed two clusters. Cluster I consisted of violet and orange kalanchoe, and cluster II comprised red, yellow and purple kalanchoe. Whereas the cluster analysis based on molecular data revealed three clusters. Cluster I included only yellow kalanchoe, cluster II comprised orange and violet kalanchoe while cluster III comprised red, and purple kalanchoe. The study concluded that orange, violet and yellow kalanchoe are distinguished parents for breeding economically valued traits in kalanchoe. Also, the study concluded that SCoT and RAPD markers reproduced reliable banding patterns to assess the genetic polymorphism among kalanchoe genotypes that consider the basis stone for genetic improvements in ornamental plants.

Biodiversity and identification facilitate a prioritization of determination basis for plant evolutionary, phytogeography, biodiversity and conservation of plant genetic resources. High-throughput phenotyping platforms (HTPP) provide more attractive for genotyping for biodiversity evaluation. Descriptor lists include 51 attributes applied on all growth-stages of 53 C. olitorius accessions plus C. capsularis, C. trilocularis, C. tridens, and C. depressus. Three main groups were split. Variance decomposition was estimated within class of 68.87% and between classes of 31.13%. Major distance recorded 18.41 between class 1 (wild taxa only) and class three (18 accessions of C. olitorius). In contrast, the minor distance scored 8.3 between class 2 (35 accessions) and class 3 (18 accessions). Wild taxa with their rarity distribution and habitats prioritize highly conservation due to the association of evolutionary role and importance of genetic improvement. Conservation strategies applied to PGR prioritization are influenced by the distribution frequency and habitat specificity. The results are useful information on genetic diversity at the Egyptian Gene Bank, which could be used for C. olitorius genetic improvement programs and sustainable utilization.

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