Genetic Relationship among twenty Cowpea Genotypes (Vigna Unguiculata (l) Walp.) Using Simple Sequence repeat Marker

Full Length Research Paper

Genetic Relationship among twenty Cowpea Genotypes (Vigna Unguiculata (l) Walp.) Using Simple Sequence repeat Marker

*ADEWUSI, O.F and OMIKUNLE, O.A

Department of Biotechnology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

*Corresponding author. E-mail: ofadewusi@gmail.com. Tel. 08101109482

Abstract

This study assessed genetic diversity and relationships among 20 cowpea genotypes using eight Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. A total of 123 alleles were detected, with an average of 15.38 alleles per locus. The polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.9030 to 0.9258, indicating high genetic in formativeness of the markers. Genetic similarity among genotypes ranged from 0.75 to 1.00. UPGMA cluster analysis grouped the genotypes into two major clusters. These findings confirm the effectiveness of SSR markers in evaluating genetic diversity and offer valuable insights for cowpea breeding programs.

Keywords: Genetic relationship, Cowpea, Genotypes, Simple sequence repeat, Marker