Abstract
For the perfume industry, Rosa damascena is the most important species used in the production of rose attar which is made by distilling volatile oils from the petals of flowers. It is also used widely in the manufacture of rose water, as a flavoring agent. Other species like Rosa gallica L., Rosa centifolia L., Rosa x borboniana Desp. and the rose cultivar Gruss an Teplitz also exhibit the fragrance that is sought by perfumeries in the world. The main rose oil producers in the world are Turkey and Bulgaria, and they are obtaining the rose oil almost exclusively from the single clone of R. damascena. In the recent studies a wide genetic diversity for R. damascena has been revealed in Iran, but there was a need to explore and evaluate the R. damascena in the neighboring areas of Iran. Thus the new research project was planned with the objective to evaluate the genetic diversity amongst R. damascena landraces grown in Pakistan and the subsequent comparison with tested germplasm grown in Iran. Further, the study is based on the collection of Damask and selected garden roses from Pakistan, Iran and USA, determining the characterization through microsatellite markers. The SSR markers confirmed the high level of diversity of the Rosa damascena germplasm within Iran and showed that the Pakistani genotypes were similar to those from the Iranian provinces of Isfahan, Kerman and Fars. The garden rose cultivars were distantly related.