Abstract

ABSTRACT Genetic diversity is key for breeding population development, hybrid breeding, heterotic grouping and genetic analysis, among others. The objective of this study was to examine genetic interrelationships among elite sorghum genotypes bred for resistance to Striga hermonthica Del. Benth and S. asiatica (L.) Kuntze and compatible with a biological control agent Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. strigae (FOS) against Striga using 22 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) or microsatellite markers. The number of alleles per locus detected by the markers varied from 2 to 7 with a mean value of 4.23. The polymorphic information content (PIC) of the SSR markers ranged from 0.15 to 0.84 with a mean of 0.57 showing moderate discriminatory power of the primers. The neighbour-joining clustering algorithm classified the genotypes into three main groups, revealing narrow to moderate variations existing among the test genotypes. Overall, the genetic diversity revealed by the study will be useful for designed crosses and pyramiding of broad-based resistance genes to control Striga for sustainable sorghum production.

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