Abstract
Dearth of information on extent of genetic variability in cassava limits the genetic improvement of cassava genotypes in Sierra Leone. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity and relationships within 102 cassava genotypes using agro-morphological and single nucleotide polymorphism markers. Morphological classification based on qualitative traits categorized the germplasm into five different groups, whereas the quantitative trait set had four groups. The SNP markers classified the germplasm into three main cluster groups. A total of seven principal components (PCs) in the qualitative and four PCs in the quantitative trait sets accounted for 79.03% and 72.30% of the total genetic variation, respectively. Significant and positive correlations were observed between average yield per plant and harvest index (r = 0.76***), number of storage roots per plant and harvest index (r = 0.33*), height at first branching and harvest index (0.26*), number of storage roots per plant and average yield per plant (r = 0.58*), height at first branching and average yield per plant (r = 0.24*), length of leaf lobe and petiole length (r = 0.38*), number of leaf lobe and petiole length (r = 0.31*), width of leaf lobe and length of leaf lobe (r = 0.36*), number of leaf lobe and length of leaf lobe (r = 0.43*), starch content and dry matter content (r = 0.99***), number of leaf lobe and root dry matter (r = 0.30*), number of leaf lobe and starch content (r = 0.28*), and height at first branching and plant height (r = 0.45**). Findings are useful for conservation, management, short term recommendation for release and genetic improvement of the crop.
Highlights
Dearth of information on extent of genetic variability in cassava limits the genetic improvement of cassava genotypes in Sierra Leone
The results showed that 53.9% of the accessions exhibited light-green leaves, 42.2% had dark-green leaves and 3.9% had purple-green leaves (Fig. 1a)
This study successfully determined the extent of genetic diversity within cassava breeding population of Sierra Leone using morphological and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers
Summary
Genetic divergence in breeding population is evaluated by genetic markers (Andrade et al 2017) Genetic markers such as agro-morphological markers had been used frequently in Physiol Mol Biol Plants (February 2020) 26(2):317330 preliminary studies because they are fast and easy approach for assessing the extent of diversity among germplasm (Asare et al 2011). As knowledge in scientific research progressed, molecular markers were noted to unravel the genetic constitution and significance of traits through DNA fingerprinting, gene link detection, identification of genotypes, gene introgression, germplasm characterization, phylogenetic analysis, and indirect selection of agronomic traits (Souza 2015; Andrade et al 2017) Such knowledge underpins the use of appropriate and reliable agro-morphological descriptor and molecular markers for the evaluation of genetic diversity (Fukuda and Guevara 1998). The objective of the present study was to assess the genetic diversity and relationships within cassava germplasm using agro-morphological and single nucleotide polymorphism markers
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