Abstract
Understanding the genetic diversity present amongst crop genotypes is an efficient utilization of germplasm for genetic improvement. The present study was aimed at evaluating genetic diversity and population structure of 48 pigeonpea genotypes from four populations collected from diverse sources. The 48 pigeonpea entries were genotyped using 33 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers that are polymorphic to assess molecular genetic diversity and genetic relatedness. The informative marker combinations revealed a total of 155 alleles at 33 loci, with an average of 4.78 alleles detected per marker with the mean polymorphic information content (PIC) value of 0.46. Population structure analysis using model based revealed that the germplasm was grouped into two subpopulations. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that 53.3% of genetic variation existed within individuals. Relatively low population differentiation was recorded amongst the test populations indicated by the mean fixation index (Fst) value of 0.032. The Tanzanian pigeonpea germplasm collection was grouped into three major clusters. The clustering pattern revealed a lack of relationship between geographic origin and genetic diversity. This study provides a foundation for the selection of parental material for genetic improvement.
Highlights
Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan [L.] Millsp) is an important legume crop widely cultivated in Africa and Asia in diverse environments [1]
The study material consisted of 48 pigeonpea genotypes representing farmers’ landraces, landraces from the National Plant Genetic Resources Centre (NPGRC)-Arusha, Tanzania, breeding lines collected from International Crops Research for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)-Nairobi, Kenya and released cultivars obtained from the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)-Ilonga, Morogoro-Tanzania
A total of 158 alleles were amplified among the 48 pigeonpea and the numbers of alleles scored for 33 loci ranged from 2 to 11 with an average of 4.78
Summary
Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan [L.] Millsp) is an important legume crop widely cultivated in Africa and Asia in diverse environments [1]. Pigeonpea belongs to the family Leguminosae and sub-family. Cajanus cajan is the only domesticated species among Cajanea family. The crop has the ability to produce an economic yield under low moisture condition making it an important crop in dry areas [2]. Pigeonpea is one of the under-researched crops compared to other common legumes. In Tanzania, the crop is grown in several regions as a food and cash crop [3,4]. Tanzania is one of the top six global exporters of pigeonpea to the Asian market
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