Abstract
With its drought tolerant and protein-rich properties, Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.], an indigenous African legume crop can contribute immensely to food security. This miracle crop is used as food and for the enhancement of soil fertility in South Africa. Knowledge on the genetic diversity and structure among the Bambara groundnut landraces can pave the way for the effective use and cultivation of this crop in southern Africa, especially South Africa. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity and structure among Bambara groundnut landraces collected across South Africa and compared to a limited number of accessions from southern Africa using SSR markers. Seventy-eight Bambara groundnut accessions were genotyped using 19 Bambara specific SSR markers. SSR loci explored in this study, were all polymorphic. A total of 127 alleles were detected with a mean of 6.7 alleles per locus. Allele diversity and frequency among genotypes varied from 0.21 to 0.85 with an average of 0.62 per locus. Genetic variation as described by the analysis of molecular variance indicated higher genetic diversity (92%) within landraces than between (8%) different landraces. Population structure analysis showed that three subpopulations existed, and most of the South African accessions were restricted to one subpopulation, indicating that Bambara landraces has the ability to form unique haplotypes in different environments. Information harnessed in this study is helpful for further use in breeding programs for crop improvement.
Highlights
With an ever changing climate and increasing drought reports across the world, agriculture is suffering, as current crops struggle to adapt in the new conditions, impacting food security
Bambara groundnut landraces from major growing centres, including southern, western, eastern and central Africa, as well as Asian regions have been characterized to determine the level of genetic diversity within and between landrace germplasm[5,12,20,21,22,23]
The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity and structure among Bambara groundnut landraces collected across South Africa and other regions in southern Africa using SSR markers for the cultivation and improvement of Bambara groundnut
Summary
With an ever changing climate and increasing drought reports across the world, agriculture is suffering, as current crops struggle to adapt in the new conditions, impacting food security. The growth in South African production areas for this crop are restricted by various limitations which include good stable varieties The potential of this ‘miracle’ crop has not yet been explored to its full extent in South Africa, while Shegro et al.[6] suggested that information on genetic variability among available local accessions (landraces) of Bambara groundnut can contribute to an improvement program in this country. Screening these Bambara landraces and the assessment of the genetic diversity of this poorly understood minor legume can provide breeders with genetic resources to assist with crop improvement including, yield, biotic and abiotic stress tolerance as well as the adaptability of the crop to various environments, which can contribute to the enhancement and maintenance of food s ecurity[12]. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity and structure among Bambara groundnut landraces collected across South Africa and other regions in southern Africa using SSR markers for the cultivation and improvement of Bambara groundnut
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