Microsatellite markers for the yam bean Pachyrhizus (Fabaceae)

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite loci were developed for the understudied root crop yam bean ( Pachyrhizus spp.) to investigate intraspecifi c diversity and interspecifi c relationships within the genus Pachyrhizus . • Methods and Results: Seventeen nuclear simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers with perfect di- and trinucleotide repeats were developed from 454 pyrosequencing of SSR-enriched genomic libraries. Loci were characterized in P. ahipa and wild and cultivated populations of four closely related species. All loci successfully cross-amplifi ed and showed high levels of polymorphism, with number of alleles ranging from three to 12 and expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.095 to 0.831 across the genus. • Conclusions: By enabling rapid assessment of genetic diversity in three native neotropical crops, P. ahipa , P. erosus , and P. tuberosus , and two wild relatives, P. ferrugineus and P. panamensis , these markers will allow exploration of the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of the genus Pachyrhizus .