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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Plant Germplasm Introduction and Testing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #221451
Title: Evaluation of genetic diversity, population structure and identification of a Medicago truncatula core collection using SSR markers

Author
item HAN, Y - NOBLE FOUNDATION
item ZHANG, G - NOBLE FOUNDATION
item SLEDGE, M - NOBLE FOUNDATION
item Greene, Stephanie
item Coyne, Clarice - Clare
item MONTEROS, M - NOBLE FOUNDATION

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/26/2007
Publication Date: 11/7/2007
Citation: Han, Y., Zhang, G., Sledge, M.K., Greene, S.L., Coyne, C.J., Monteros, M. 2007. Evaluation of genetic diversity, population structure and identification of a Medicago truncatula core collection using SSR markers. Abstract 278-3. Agronomy Abstracts. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI.

Interpretive Summary: Our goals were to evaluate the genetic diversity in USDA collection of Medicago truncatula and establish a core collection using SSR markers. A set of core collections were generated based on SSR data which successfully captured the existing molecular diversity as well as the morphological diversity present in the collection. A core collection of 16 accessions captured 89% of all alleles. Overall, we have elucidated the genetic distance among the M. truncatula accessions in the USDA collection, and established a core collection which can be used by breeders and researchers to more efficiently exploit the existing natural genetic variation in M. truncatula.

Technical Abstract: Knowledge of the extent of variation in a species is crucial for successful exploitation of its natural genetic diversity. Our goals were to evaluate the genetic diversity in the collection of the model legume species Medicago truncatula available in the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and establish a core collection that would represent the existing diversity in the collection. Using 37 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers evenly distributed across linkage groups and three derived from chloroplast sequences, 402 alleles were detected in the 297 accessions evaluated, with an average of ten alleles per locus. Unweighted pair-group method (UPGMA) analysis differentiated the accessions into four clusters. The entries collected in North Africa were highly conserved within their geographic origin, while the ones from Europe and the Mediterranean region were more diverse. A set of nested core collections was generated based on SSR data which successfully captured the existing molecular diversity as well as the morphological diversity present in the collection. A core collection of 16 accessions captured 89% of all alleles. All of the alleles were captured when the size of the core collection was increased to 64. A model-based clustering method identified two main subpopulations, one of which consisted mostly of accessions from Morocco, while the others were assigned to a second group.