Genetic Diversity Assessment in Chickpea Using Morphological Characters and Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) Molecular Markers

Genetic diversity in 35 chickpea genotypes were studied using morphological characters and 14 start codon targeted (SCoT) markers. Results of variance analysis and descriptive statistics for morphological traits indicated that the genotypes differed significantly for all studied characteristics. A dendrogram was constructed from morphological traits and the genotypes were grouped into six clusters. Fourteen SCoT primers yielded 135 bands, of which 100 bands were polymorphic. Number of polymorphic bands varied from 6 to 9, with an average of 7.14 bands per primer. PIC values ranged from 0.27 (SCoT22) to 0.46 (SCoT15), with an average value of 0.36 per primer. Cluster analysis Based on SCoT-PCR markers grouped 35 chickpea genotypes into three major clusters. Results showed a weak relationship between morphological divergence and molecular diversity pattern. Overall, we found relatively high genetic diversity in examined chickpea genotypes using morphological and SCoT molecular markers. Findings of this study can be useful for breeder for selective genotypes and specific traits in breeding programs in chickpea.