Genetic diversity computation in sesame genotypes using morphological traits and genic SSR markers

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.), the most ancient and important oilseed crop, with rich source of protein, highquality seed oil and many antioxidant properties is extensively grown in India. In the present study, 235 genic markers developed through data mining of expressed sequence tags from the NCBI database were used to assess the molecular genetic diversity at molecular level of 70 genotypes, belonging to different eco-geographical regions of the world. Of the developed markers, 35 (15%) showed polymorphism with a total of 151 alleles identified across genotypes. The alleles detected by the markers varied from 3 to 6 with an average of 4.36 along with 69% of average genetic diversity. The polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.36 to 0.82, with an average of 0.61. Neighbor-Joining (NJ) analysis revealed the five major groups, and clustering was independent to geographic origin. By using UPGMA, 70 genotypes at 70% similarity coefficient among the morphological traits were classified into four distinct clusters and the clustering pattern was different than based on molecular markers.