Agre Paterne A, Edemodu Alex, Obidiegwu Jude E, Adebola Patrick, Asiedu Robert, Asfaw Asrat
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Nigeria.
National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria.
Front Plant Sci. 2023 Feb 6;14:1051840. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1051840. eCollection 2023.
Landraces represent a significant gene pool of African cultivated white Guinea yam diversity. They could, therefore, serve as a potential donor of important traits such as resilience to stresses as well as food quality attributes that may be useful in modern yam breeding. This study assessed the pattern of genetic variability, quantitative trait loci (QTLs), alleles, and genetic merits of landraces, which could be exploited in breeding for more sustainable yam production in Africa.
A total of 86 white Guinea yam landraces representing the popular landraces in Nigeria alongside 16 elite clones were used for this study. The yam landraces were genotyped using 4,819 DArTseq SNP markers and profiled using key productivity and food quality traits.
Genetic population structure through admixture and hierarchical clustering methods revealed the presence of three major genetic groups. Genome-wide association scan identified thirteen SNP markers associated with five key traits, suggesting that landraces constitute a source of valuable genes for productivity and food quality traits. Further dissection of their genetic merits in yam breeding using the Genomic Prediction of Cross Performance (GPCP) allowed identifying several landraces with high crossing merit for multiple traits. Thirteen landraces were identified as potential genitors to develop segregating progenies to improve multiple traits simultaneously for desired gains in yam breeding. Results of this study provide valuable insights into the patterns and the merits of local genetic diversity which can be utilized for identifying desirable genes and alleles of interest in yam breeding for Africa.
地方品种代表了非洲种植的白几内亚薯蓣多样性的重要基因库。因此，它们可作为重要性状的潜在供体，如对胁迫的耐受性以及可能对现代薯蓣育种有用的食品质量属性。本研究评估了地方品种的遗传变异模式、数量性状位点（QTL）、等位基因和遗传优点，这些可用于非洲更可持续的薯蓣生产育种。
本研究共使用了86个代表尼日利亚流行地方品种的白几内亚薯蓣地方品种以及16个优良无性系。使用4819个DArTseq SNP标记对薯蓣地方品种进行基因分型，并使用关键生产力和食品质量性状进行分析。
通过混合和层次聚类方法进行的遗传群体结构分析揭示了三个主要遗传群体的存在。全基因组关联扫描确定了与五个关键性状相关的13个SNP标记，表明地方品种构成了生产力和食品质量性状宝贵基因的来源。使用交叉表现基因组预测（GPCP）在薯蓣育种中进一步剖析它们的遗传优点，使得能够识别出多个性状具有高杂交优点的几个地方品种。确定了13个地方品种作为潜在的亲本，以培育分离后代，同时改善多个性状，从而在薯蓣育种中获得理想的增益。本研究结果为当地遗传多样性的模式和优点提供了有价值的见解，可用于识别非洲薯蓣育种中所需的基因和感兴趣的等位基因。
