Abstract
Simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers were used for genetic diversity analysis and population structure of the cultivated Pearl millet in Benin, West Africa. In order to assess the level of genetic diversity, 14 polymorphic SSR markers were used to screen 114 accessions from different agro-ecological zones in Benin. SSR markers were found to reveal a total of 57 alleles with an average of 4.071 allele per locus. Genetic diversity index varied from 0.099 to 0.633 with an average of 0.405. The average observed heterozygosity was found to reach 0.425. The analysis of molecular variance showed no real differentiation between regions. Only 5% of genetic variation was observed between samples collected from north-eastern and north-western region. A high level of variation (95%) was observed among accessions. Moreover, both principal component analysis (PCA) and the dendrogram obtained from the genetic distance among accessions revealed the absence of any specific structuration of accessions from each region under study. Our results confirmed diversity among cultivated Pearl millet in Benin and such diversity is not clustering according to geographical patterns. Key words: Cereal, simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, genetic variability.
Highlights
Pearl millet accessions were collected in December 2013 to January 2014 from the northern part of Benin, which is divided between the northeast and the northwest covered by the Departments of Borgou-Alibori and Atacora-Donga, respectively
These results point out the diversity of use of pearl millet in the Northern Benin
Traditional beverage were consumed daily by people and represents a part of identity of most of ethnic group live in the west-northern of the country and could justify the difference observed for local usages in east-northern and west-northern parts
Summary
It has a high nutritional value compared to other cereals and presents a high potential in contributing to food and nutrition security (Vanisha et al, 2011). Being a drought-tolerant crop, pearl millet is cultivated in dry northern regions of Benin under increasingly short and marginal raining seasons. It is used in various local food preparations like local porridge, cakes and traditional beverage. This endeavour needs to be further supported through the implementation of adequate preservation measures at the local scale, starting with an inventory of the existing diversity
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