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Title: Assessment of Genetic Diversity of Lespedeza Germplasm and Analysis of Its Phylogenetic Relationship with the Genus Kummerowia

Author
item Wang, Ming
item MOSJIDIS, JORGE - UNIVERSITY OF GA
item Morris, John - Brad
item CHEN, ZHENBANG - UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
item Anglin, Noelle
item Pederson, Gary

Submitted to: Plant and Animal Genome Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2008
Publication Date: 1/12/2008
Citation: Wang, M.L., Mosjidis, J., Morris, J.B., Chen, Z., Barkley, N.L., Pederson, G.A. 2008. Assessment of Genetic Diversity of Lespedeza Germplasm and Analysis of Its Phylogenetic Relationship with the Genus Kummerowia. Plant and Animal Genome Conference XVI, January 12-16, 2008, San Diego, CA. p.152.

Interpretive Summary: The genus Lespedeza contains approximately 40 annual and perennial species. These species have been used as forage crop, ornamentals, and medicinal plants. There is a big collection of Lespedeza in the Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit (PGRCU), USDA-ARS at Griffin, Georgia. These accessions have never been characterized and classified morphologically and genetically. Forty-five Lespedeza accessions and three other related species with Lespedeza were used in this study. They were genotyped with DAN markers and classified into three clusters and eight subgroups. The phylogenetic relationships among Lespedeza species and with other related species have been established. Some misidentified accessions were found. Misidentified accessions were reexamined by morphological observation and reclassified into other species. Information on genotyped Lespedeza accessions would be useful for forage curators, breeders, and other scientists.

Technical Abstract: The genetic diversity of genus Lespedeza is not well known and the phylogenetic relationship of Lespedeza with the genus Kummerowia is unclear. We report the first study in which polymorphic expressed sequence tag-simple sequence (EST-SSR) markers derived from Medicago, cowpea and soybean were used to assess the genetic diversity of Lespedeza germplasm collection and clarify its phylogenetic relationship with the genus Kummerowia. Phylogenetic analysis partitioned 44 Lespedeza accessions into three main groups some of which were species-specific and eight subgroups. This data set revealed some misidentified accessions, and indicated that two species in the genus Kummerowia are closely related to the genus Lespedeza. Morphological reexamination was used to correct the misidentified accessions within the genus Lespedeza. Our results demonstrated that phylogenetic analysis with morphological reexamination provides a more complete approach to classify accessions in a plant germplasm collection