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Genetic diversity and population structure of Guinea yams and their wild relatives in South and South West Ethiopia as revealed by microsatellite markers

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Abstract

Genetic diversity and population structure of Guinea yams and their wild relatives collected from south and south west Ethiopia were assessed using microsatellite markers. The total number of alleles amplified for the 7 loci studied was found to be 60, with an average of 8.6 alleles per locus. The average expected heterozygosity for the entire population was found to be 64 % indicating that Guinea yams and their wild relatives in the study area display a high level of genetic diversity. Using allelic richness as a measure of genetic diversity the wild forms exhibited greater allelic diversity than the cultigens. Contrary to what is expected in vegetatively propagated crops, none of the seven loci studied showed a significant excess of heterozygotes. In all the comparisons made, a low mean FST (but significant) has been observed, indicating that the majority of microsatellite diversity in the populations under study was found within rather than between populations.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Norwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education (NUFU) and Bentham-Moxon trust. We thank the staffs at Jodrell laborarory (Conservation Genetics and molecular systematic sections) for technical support and Anteneh Tesfaye for the technical assistance in the field. Dr Christian Lexer and Prof. Glenn-Peter Sætre are gratefully acknowledged for their support in data analysis and interpretation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dilla University, P.O Box 419, Dilla, Ethiopia

    Wendawek Abebe Mengesha

  2. National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University, P.O Box 3434, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Sebsebe Demissew

  3. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK

    M. F. Fay, R. J. Smith & P. Wilkin

  4. Department of Biology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Blindern, 0316, Oslo, Norway

    I. Nordal

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  1. Wendawek Abebe Mengesha
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  2. Sebsebe Demissew
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  3. M. F. Fay
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  4. R. J. Smith
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  5. I. Nordal
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  6. P. Wilkin
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Correspondence to Wendawek Abebe Mengesha.

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Mengesha, W.A., Demissew, S., Fay, M.F. et al. Genetic diversity and population structure of Guinea yams and their wild relatives in South and South West Ethiopia as revealed by microsatellite markers. Genet Resour Crop Evol 60, 529–541 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-012-9856-0

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