DIVERSITY STUDY OF DRUMSTICK (MORINGA OLEIFERA LAM.) USING MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND MOLECULAR MARKERS

DIVERSITY STUDY OF DRUMSTICK (MORINGA OLEIFERA LAM.) USING MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND MOLECULAR MARKERS

Abstract:

Germplasm diversity analysis and characterization provides the foundation for crop improvement programme. This work has used morphologicaland molecular tools to study diversityand characterizeMoringa oleifera. The study was undertaken at the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Jericho Ibadan arboretum from 2013 to 2016 with the aim of determining accessions for future genetic improvement program. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The morphological data were subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Rank Summation Index (RSI) to determinetheir pattern of variation, identify major traits responsible for the variation and suggest appropriate accessions for breeding.Significant (P < 0.05) variation were observed among the accessions for surviving ability, pod diameter and number of seed/pod and highly significant (P < 0.01) differences for days to flowering, days to fruiting, pod length, plant height and secondary branches. Phenotypic variances and phenotypic coefficients of variation were slightly higher than genotypic variances and genotypic coefficients of variation for all the traits. Positive significant (P<0.05) correlations were observed between survival ability and vegetative characters, as well as between survival ability and yield related characters. Negative significant correlations were observed between early flowering and yield related characters; likewise between early flowering and vegetative characters.From the principal component analysis, the first five principal components out of the seventeen PCextracted had eigenvalues >1 and altogether captured 87.5% of the variation. Principal components 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 exhibited 50.1%, 11.3%, 10.2%, 9.0% and 6.8% variability respectively.Cluster analysis grouped the 31 accessions into three main clusters with four sub clusters.The accessions were grouped into clusters with reference to their overall performance in the evaluated traits.Based on RSI,Accessions FRINMOR12-17, FRINMOR12-22 and FRINMOR12-6 were the best materials in terms of total number of pods, total number of seeds, the seed yield, 100seed weight, pod weight, number of seeds per pod, secondary branches and flowering branches. These accessions are therefore considered the best potential materials for the improvement of Moringa in Nigeria.None of the 10 Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA primers showed amplification. However, five micro-satellites amplified and produced clear bands which were selected for the characterization analysis. The mean polymorphic information content was 0.48, gene diversity was 0.52 while the allele frequency was 0.57, and these results indicated there was actually gene diversity existing among the collections.High polymorphism and gene diversity were observed from the primers MO41 and MO1indicating the deduced information from the primers can be used with high level of certainty in subsequent analysis. The cluster analysis grouped the 31 accessions into two main clusters with three sub clusters. Fifteen out of the thirty one accessions were having 0.00 genetic distances between them and were grouped into six clusters. Both the morphologicalanalysis and molecular marker evaluations were not able to discern a clear cut geographical clustering of the accessions.

DIVERSITY STUDY OF DRUMSTICK (MORINGA OLEIFERA LAM.) USING MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND MOLECULAR MARKERS