African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12486

Full Length Research Paper

Characterization of fifteen microsatellite loci and genetic diversity analysis for the Ghanaian food security crop Solenostemon rotundifolius (Frafra potato)

Lichun Hua
  • Lichun Hua
  • University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
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Đenita Hadziabdic
  • Đenita Hadziabdic
  • University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
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Naalamle Amissah
  • Naalamle Amissah
  • School of Agriculture, Department of Crop Science, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
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Marcin Nowicki
  • Marcin Nowicki
  • University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
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Sarah L. Boggess
  • Sarah L. Boggess
  • University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
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Margaret Staton
  • Margaret Staton
  • University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
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Nianjun Teng
  • Nianjun Teng
  • College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China.
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Robert N. Trigiano
  • Robert N. Trigiano
  • University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
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  •  Received: 02 October 2018
  •  Accepted: 20 November 2018
  •  Published: 22 November 2018

Abstract

Frafra potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius) is an important food crop indigenous to Western Africa and a member of the Labiaceae (mint) family. It is nutrient-rich and drought tolerant; however, despite its potential as a food security crop, it has not received the research support needed to promote its widespread adoption and safeguard its diversity. As a result, Frafra potato is becoming extinct and restricted to indigenous communities where it holds traditional importance. It is imperative that conservation methods are explored, but before then, the genetic diversity of the species should be assessed. The objectives of this study were to develop simple sequence repeats (SSRs) for Frafra potato from de novo sequencing of the genome, and to provide a preliminary assessment of genetic diversity of Frafra potato in Ghana. To this end, 57 accessions of Frafra potato obtained from three geographic regions of Ghana were characterized using 15 discovered microsatellites. Forty-six multilocus genotypes (MLGs) were identified among the 57 accessions. The genetic diversity among the MLGs was moderate-to-high. Preliminary evaluation of accessions from the three collection zones indicated the presence of population structure among Frafra potato individuals collected in Ghana, Africa.

 

Key words: Food security, Frafra potato, genetic diversity, microsatellites, simple sequence repeats, Solenostemon rotundifolius.

Copyright © 2024 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.

This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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