Genetic diversity of lowland sorghum landraces assessed by morphological and microsatellite markers

Genetic diversity is one of the fundamental success factors in plant breeding programs. The objective of this study was to assess the genetic diversity in lowland sorghum landraces using 25 agro-morphological and 30 microsatellite markers. Phenotypic diversity of 267 genotypes originated from Ethiopia was determined using diversity indices, principal component, cluster, and discriminant analyses. High phenotypic diversity indices were recorded, ranging from 0.67 to 1.00, with a mean of 0.88. Principal component analysis and discriminant analyses identified four PCAs and five discriminant functions which contributed 82% and 92% of the total phenotypic variation among the landraces and their respective geographic origin, respectively. The PIC ranged from 0.26 to 0.88, with a mean of 0.61. The mean gene diversity was 0.69, which largely explained variation among genotypes within geographic origin. The SSR markers and phenotypic traits showed similar clustering patters of landraces except some discrepancies. Information obtained in this study may be useful for future sorghum breeding improvement program.