Simple sequence repeat markers associated with agro-morphological traits in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), a cool season grain legume, serves as an important cheap source of protein and energy in developing countries, and plays an important role in the enrichment of soil fertility. In order to identify simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers associated with agro-morphological traits in chickpea, 44 genotypes comprising cultigen, landraces, internationally developed improved lines and wild relatives, were phenotyped for several agro-morphological traits in a randomized complete block design with three replications at Urmia Rainfed Research Station. High genetic variability was observed among the chickpea genotypes for the studied agro-morphological traits. In molecular experiment, genetic variability among genotypes was assessed by using SSR markers. One hundred alleles were generated at 16 SSR loci, with a mean number of alleles per locus of 6.25. Using general linear model (GLM) and applying multiple testing corrections, 10 SSR loci associated with the genes controlling the studied agro-morphological traits were identified. Some identified markers were associated with more than one trait. The identified markers could be of great interest in marker assisted selection (MAS) in chickpea breeding programmes.