Exploitation of Simple Sequence Repeat Markers to Assess the Genetic Diversity in Sudan Pearl Millet [Pennisetum Glaucum (L.) R. Br.] Collections

Environmental factors can radically influence plant morphology and therefore, classification depending only on visible characteristics is inherently flawed. The use of molecular markers provides a much more reliable approach to explore genetic diversity in crops. Studies on genetic diversity in Pennisetum glaucum L. germplasm suggest promising opportunities for the use of undomesticated materials for improving pearl millet varieties. This study therefore, aimed at the exploitation of simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs) for assessing the genetic diversity of 36 accessions of Sudan collections of pearl millet using 10 SSRs markers. The 10 markers produced 30 alleles with an average of 3 alleles per locus. The number of alleles amplified by each primer varied from 1 to 6. The size of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) products ranged from 138 to 264 bp. Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) values of microsatellite markers varied from 0 to 0.68 with an average of 0.33. Cluster analysis with the SSR markers resulted in five major groups. The geographical distribution of accessions did not fit with the genotypic cluster. The results provide a good starting point for molecular characterization of pearl millet collections and selection of parental lines for genetic improvement in pearl millet.