Abstract
In recent years, the use of quality protein maize (QPM) with the objective of improving the nutritional value of maize grain protein has been the focus of several African breeding programs. Knowledge of genetic variation among QPM and normal maize varieties is important for an efficient selection and development of new varieties.The main objective of this study was to assess the level of genetic variation and relatedness among and within QPM and normal maize varieties selected in the DR-Congo breeding program using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. For ISSR analysis, the mean level of polymorphism within each accession analyzed was 69%. Nei’s gene diversity (h) was 0.26 on the average. The genetic distance among the accessions varied from 0.098 to 0.460. More than 80% of genetic distances were below 0.35. The mean level of polymorphic loci among accessions obtained with RAPD markers was higher (79%) compared to ISSR. The genetic distance values were also larger than ISSR data ranging from 0.16 to 0.61 with 50% of values smaller than 0.35. The mean level of polymorphisms within the accessions analyzed was 65%. The Nei’s gene diversity (h) was 0.23. Overall, the genetic variation among and within QPM and normal varieties were high, but the genetic distance among them was small. QPM accessions clustered together, but the genetic closeness among QPM and normal maize varieties studied was not always related to their origin. Key words: Quality protein maize, normal maize, genetic variation, genetic relatedness, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), DR-Congo.
Highlights
Maize is the primarily food source for both humans and livestock in many regions around the globe
Knowledge of genetic variation among quality protein maize (QPM) and normal maize varieties is important for an efficient selection and development of new varieties.The main objective of this study was to assess the level of genetic variation and relatedness among and within QPM and normal maize varieties selected in the DR-Congo breeding program using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers
The main objective of this study was to assess the level of genetic variation and relatedness among and within quality protein and normal maize varieties selected in the DR-Congo breeding program using ISSR and RAPD markers
Summary
Maize is the primarily food source for both humans and livestock in many regions around the globe. The outstanding diversity has enabled this crop to be adapted to vastly different growing regions and purposes. This has been the raw genetic material for its radical transformation into the world’s highest yielding grain crop. The use of quality protein maize has been the focus of several African breeding programs (Krivanek et al, 2007; Sofi et al, 2009; Mbuya et al, 2010). Recent reviews have described the latest information on breeding methods of QPM in Africa, and revealed the lack of studies on genetic diversity of QPM varieties and their genetic relationships with normal maize varieties (Krivanek et al, 2007; Sofi et al, 2009). Recent reviews have described the latest information on breeding methods of QPM in Africa, and revealed the lack of studies on genetic diversity of QPM varieties and their genetic relationships with normal maize varieties (Krivanek et al, 2007; Sofi et al, 2009). Senior et al (1998) reported the utility of simple sequence repeats (SSR) for determining genetic similarities in maize. Li et al (2006) analyzed genetic relationships among CIMMYT subtropical QPM and
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