Abstract:

A total of 440 lentil accessions, randomly chosen from the National Gene Bank, were employed in the experiment. Fourteen polymorphic SSR markers was screened from a total of 145 SSR primer pairs, detected a total of 87 allelic variations. High level of diversity has been detected, with an average allele number of 6.2143 and an average Shannon-Weaver index (I) of 1.1869 by 14 SSR primer pairs. The results indicated significant differentiations among the 16 groups of lentil resources in genetic diversity from diversed geographic origins. The genetic diversity within alien accessions was obviously higher than that within Chinese resources. Population structure within the subcollection of 440 individuals was defined, and 8 clusters were identified based on SSR markers by using Structure 2.2 software. The results of PCA, UPGMA cluster and population structure analyses revealed that the genetic structure was multiplex; the genetic distance was broader among foreign populations than that among Chinese populations. More survey and collecting trips, conservation and study should be made for the lentil genetic resources in Shanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu provinces, where the highest genetic diversity level existed in China. Furthermore, international exchange and introduction of lentil genetic resources should be enhanced, for more systematic studies and exploitation.

Key words: Lentil, Genetic resources, SSR markers, Genetic diversity, Population structure