Genetic diversity assessment of Ethiopian tetraploid wheat landraces and improved durum wheat varieties using microsatellites and markers linked with stem rust resistance

• Published in: Genetic resources and crop evolution Vol. 60; no. 2; pp. 513 - 527
• Main Authors: Haile, Jemanesh K, Hammer, Karl, Badebo, Ayele, Nachit, Miloudi M, Röder, Marion S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer-Verlag 01-02-2013; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Alleles; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cluster analysis; Crops; cultivars; durum wheat; Food processing industry; genetic background; Genetic diversity; genetic variation; landraces; Life Sciences; Markers; microsatellite repeats; Microsatellites; Plant breeding; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; principal component analysis; Principal components analysis; Puccinia graminis; Quantitative trait loci; Races; Research Article; Stem rust; tetraploidy; Triticum durum; Triticum turgidum subsp. durum; Wheat; Molecular markers; Tetraploid wheats; Genetic diversity; Stem rust resistance; Ethiopia
• ISSN: 0925-9864; 1573-5109
• DOI: 10.1007/s10722-012-9855-1

A set of 77 markers was used to describe the genetic diversity in a group of 58 tetraploid wheat accessions. Analysis was performed using 31 neutral SSR markers, 31 SSR/STS markers linked with reported major stem rust resistance genes and 15 SSR markers linked with QTL identified for resistance to Ethiopian stem rust races of Puccinia graminis Pers. f. sp. tritici Eriks. et E. Henn. (Pgt),including Ug99. The material consisted of 32 (Triticum durum s.l. incl. T. aethiopicum Jakubz., Triticum turgidum and Triticum polonicum) landraces and 22 registered T. durum varieties from Ethiopia that were released 1966–2009 and four T. durum varieties from ICARDA. A total of 720 alleles were detected. Considering the three marker sets, the mean number of alleles was higher for major stem rust resistance gene linked markers (9.9) followed by neutral SSR markers (9.2) and markers linked with QTL for stem rust resistance (8.5). Dendrograms derived from UPGMA analysis grouped the accessions into two major clusters. The principal component analysis based on the combination of the three marker sets formed three groups. The 1st group was composed of all the improved varieties, whereas the 2nd and the 3rd group contained the landraces. All the landraces that formed the 3rd group were susceptible to Ethiopian stem rust races of Pgt including Ug99. The information on the extent of the genetic diversity of the improved varieties obtained in this investigation will be helpful for developing appropriate breeding strategies to broadening the genetic base of durum wheat varieties in further breeding programmes.