Abstract
Forty eight accessions of cultivated cowpea were assessed using 12 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) dendrogram constructed revealed three main clusters when truncated at 65% similarity coefficient. All accessions showed high genetic variation except four which are genetically similar at 100% similarity coefficient. A two dimensional principal coordinate analysis (PCA) also revealed high genetic relationships among the accessions used. The polymorphism information content (PIC) revealed that the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 5 with a total of 37 alleles generated from the SSR primers. The PIC value ranged from 0.075 to 0.603 with a mean value of 0.344 from a total of 4.467. There was no significant correlation between the repeat number and the allele numbers (r=0.21) so also between repeat numbers and PIC (r=0.11). The PIC also revealed the comparative genetic diversity from three sub-regions in Africa; West Africa, North East and Central Africa and Southern Africa with thirteen accessions each. West African accessions were the most diverse with a PIC value of 4.4310, showing the greatest genetic diversity and most likely the center of origin of cultivated cowpea. Keywords: Cowpea, dendrogram, genetic diversity, polymorphism, simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. African Journal of Biotechnology , Vol 13(31) 3464-3472
Highlights
Molecu ular characte erizatio on of cultivatted cow wpea
The selection of cowpea as a pulse as well as folder might have resulted in the establishment of the cultigroup unguiculata (Ibrahima et al, 2013; Pasquet, 2000; Kuruma et al, 2008)
Short day cowpea cultivars became adapted to the cereal farming system, while day neutral cultivars later evolved from these short day cultivars and became adapted to the yam based farming system in the humid zones of West Africa (Manggoel and Uguru, 2011; Ogunkanmi et al, 2007)
Summary
Molecu ular characte erizatio on of cultivatted cow wpea Ce ell biology and d Genetics De epartment, U niversity of La agos, Nigeria a. UPGMA) dend drogram con nstructed revealed three main clu usters when truncated at a 65% simila arity coefficient. All acce essions show wed high genetic variiation exceptt four which are a geneticallly similar at 100% similarrity coefficient. A) reve ealed high g genetic relationships am mong the ac ccessions used. PIC) revealed d that the nu umber of alle eles per locu us ranged from 2 to 5 with a total of o 37 alleles generated frrom the SSR. Therre was no significant correlation bettween the repeat num mber and the e allele numb bers (r=0.21)) so bettween repea at numbers a and PIC PIC rev vealed the comparative genetic g diversity from th hree sub-regions in Afric ca; West Africa, North
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