Genetic diversity and population structure of Guinea yams and their wild relatives in South and South West Ethiopia as revealed by microsatellite markers

Genetic diversity and population structure of Guinea yams and their wild relatives collected from south and south west Ethiopia were assessed using microsatellite markers. The total number of alleles amplified for the 7 loci studied was found to be 60, with an average of 8.6 alleles per locus. The average expected heterozygosity for the entire population was found to be 64 % indicating that Guinea yams and their wild relatives in the study area display a high level of genetic diversity. Using allelic richness as a measure of genetic diversity the wild forms exhibited greater allelic diversity than the cultigens. Contrary to what is expected in vegetatively propagated crops, none of the seven loci studied showed a significant excess of heterozygotes. In all the comparisons made, a low mean FST (but significant) has been observed, indicating that the majority of microsatellite diversity in the populations under study was found within rather than between populations.