Genetic Diversity analysis and DNA fingerprinting of Chickpea cultivars (Cicer arietinum L.) using simple sequence Repet (SSR) markers.

Chickpea(Cicer arientinum L.) is one of the major grain legume crops in the world as well as in Ethiopa.The genomic DNA profiles of 48 chickpea cultivars released in different countries and historically having significance to the chickpea breeding programs at ICRISAT and in Ethiopia were evaluated using 48 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers.The objectives were to assess the extent and apttern of genetic diversity and genomic relationship, and to reveal DNA fingerprints enabling discrimination among the cultivars. Across the cultivars,Across the cultivars, a toatal of 504 alleles with frequencies raging from 3 to 22 (averge=10.5) alleles per locus were detected, and the polymorphic information content (PIC) varied from 0.37 to 0.91 with an average of 0.77. The SSR genetic profiles obtained using the 48 chickpea cultivars tested only with a subset of three highly infomrative SSR markers. The neighbour-joining UPGMA cluster analysis based on the simple matching dissimilarity index resolved the 48 cultivars into two major culusers representing desi and kabuli types, and a small third group containing pea-shaped types of cultivars. Generally, these culuster groupings of the cultivars were consistent with the pedigree information available for the cultivars as to the phenotypic classes of chickpea types.Besides, these resultshave also been further confirmed by the separate anaysis of 15 cultivars released in Ethiopia of three different origins, depicting very consistent gouping congruent with that of the entire cultivars.Moreover, the clustring pattern at th elover level of with that of the entire cultivars.moreover, the culustering pattern at the lover level of hierarchies after the differentiation of the major cluster, showed sub-grouping of the cultivars accordig to their origin and breeding background. On the other hand, the use of cultivars studied ovr the different periods of release revealed increasing tendencies of the overall genetic diversity from 0.42 for the varieties developed in the 1970s to 0.62 for those released in the 1980s, and to 0.72 for the varieties developed in the 1990s and 2000s. In contrast to the common sssertions and views charging crop breeding programs as a cause for dwindling of the genetic diversity resource bases of crops (genetic erosion). overall, the present study not only proved the importance of SSR markers analyzing the DNA fingerprinting and revealing genetic reationships among chickpea cultivars, but also genreating a database useful for cultivar identification and for selection of parental materials in chickpea breeding programs.