Assessment of genetic diversity among 125 cultivars of chickpea(Cicer arietinum L.) of Indian origin using ISSR markers

Abstract

Utilization of diverse germplasm is required to enhance the genetic variability of cultivars. Opportunity to generate favorable gene combinations can be provided by genetically diverse lines; thus, the probability of creating unique cultivars increases. Genetic diversity analysis of chickpea can give important indications for understanding species relationships and may help in developing and planning breeding programs. Thus, the present investigation was performed to assess the genetic diversity in 125 cultivars of chickpea of Indian origin, among which 42 are resistant and 13 are susceptible to Fusarium wilt and Ascochyta blight. Out of 40 ISSR primers, 26 primers generated 213 polymorphic loci. On average, 9 loci per marker were found; among these, 8 were polymorphic. The average polymorphic information content was 0.72, ranging from 0.26 to 0.91. The resolving power of the ISSR primers varied from 0.34 to 10.24. Cluster analysis using the UPGMA algorithm showed 3 major clusters, supported by STRUCTURE analysis. Genetic diversity analysis in terms of Shannon's index and Nei's gene diversity for resistant, susceptible, and miscellaneous cultivars revealed higher values for miscellaneous cultivars, indicating more variability among these cultivars in comparison to resistant and susceptible cultivars. AMOVA results among groups and among cultivars were 6% and 94%, respectively, while the estimated gene flow was 8.964. These values indicated high genetic variability among the studied cultivars and can be used to select good parental material in breeding programs and determine its correlation with the relationships based on pedigree data and morphological traits.