Abstract
The assessment of genetic diversity is a key prerequisite for studying the adaptation of populations to new environmental conditions, and therefore for the selection of new varieties. The present investigation aimed to estimate the levels and genetic structure within bread wheat varieties grown in Cameroon. Thus, genetic diversity was assessed in 17 hexaploid wheat cultivars, using 11 microsatellite markers. Genetic resources were collected in the Northwest, Adamawa and North Regions. All pairs of specific marker loci used gave amplifications with allelic variations of size on all DNA of wheat accessions. A total of 77 alleles were detected among cultivars and the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 13 with an average of 7, comparable to those observed in most previous studies. Gene diversity ranged from 0.46 (Xgdm 125) to 0.90 (Xgwm 177) with an average of 0.88, increasing with the number of alleles, with a correlation coefficient of 0.88 (Adamawa) and 0.76 (Northwest). Microsatellite markers used had an average value of polymorphic information content (PIC) of 0.69, indicating that these markers are highly informative in this study. These markers are valid and will make a contribution to the studies in hexaploid wheat. Moreover, cluster analysis at a genetic similarity of 80% and the principal component analysis, where the first two components explaining 59.86% of variation which structured 17 accessions in 5 main distinct groups. This high diversity revealed among wheat accessions, grown in Cameroon could be used in the breeding programs. Key words: Genetic diversity, bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), simple sequence repeats (SSR), Cameroon.
Highlights
The global demand for wheat yields has been estimated to increase by 50% in 2050, in order to feed the world’s growing population (Grassini et al, 2013; Allen et al, 2017)
The plant material consists of 17 cultivars of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) collected in six villages located in two Regions of Cameroon (Table 1)
The cultivars of the North West are mainly local seeds, whereas those of Adamawa were originally given by the SODEBLE and some others were imported from Tchad
Summary
The global demand for wheat yields has been estimated to increase by 50% in 2050, in order to feed the world’s growing population (Grassini et al, 2013; Allen et al, 2017). Located in Wassandé (Adamawa’s Region), the SODEBLE has grown wheat, converted wheat into flour, marketed and carried trials, in order to improve the production technics Before its closure, this Company had produced high yielding wheat lines resistant to major fungal diseases (Monthé Biris and Habas, 1980). Certain varieties had not been made available to Cameroonian farmers Until today, beyond these agronomic evaluations, no studies have ever been carried out on the genetic variability of wheat cultivars grown in Cameroon. SSRs markers have been used successfully in a wide range of applications such as genotype identification (Prasad et al, 2000), diversity studies (Akfirat and Uncuoglu, 2013) and genetic mapping
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call