DNA-Based Markers as the DUS Descriptors to Assess the Genetic Diversity in the Maize Varieties

Abstract

Due to rapid advancement in molecular technique, the use of molecular markers in distinctness, uniformity and stability (DUS) testing as a complement to replacement of morphological observations became the subject of great interest in scientific studies and consequently topic for discussion within International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plant (UPOV). The present study involved 14 hybrids and OPVs that were scored for 32 DUS character prescribed by UPOV and genotyped with 56,110 SNPs where 36,100 had no missing data (no amplification) using Trait analysis by association, evolution and Linkage (TASSEL) software to relent any polymorphic of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) covering all the ten chromosomes of maize genome.  Mean polymorphic information content (PIC) was found to be 0.15 and ranged from 0.09 to 0.19. Mean heterozygosity was found to be 0.41 and a range of 0.25 to 0.51, and gene diversity mean of 0.20 with a range of 0.12 to 0.26. Dendrogram constructed showed established differences among the individuals with the desired characters. Heterozygosity showed that inbred lines used to develop these varieties need to be worked for purification for further breeding program.