Genetic characterization of cassava (Manihot esculenta) landraces in Brazil assessed with simple sequence repeats

Based on nine microsatellite loci, the aim of this study was to appraise the genetic diversity of 42 cassava (Manihot esculenta) landraces from selected regions in Brazil, and examine how this variety is distributed according to origin in several municipalities in the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Amazonas and Mato Grosso. High diversity values were found among the five above-mentioned regions, with 3.3 alleles per locus on an average, a high percentage of polymorphic loci varying from 88.8% to 100%, an average of 0.265 for observed heterozygosity and 0.570 for gene diversity. Most genetic diversity was concentrated within the regions themselves (HS = 0.52). Cluster analysis and principal component based scatter plotting showed greater similarity among landraces from São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul and Amazonas, whereas those from Minas Gerais were clustered into a sub-group within this group. The plants from Mato Grosso, mostly collected in the municipality of General Carneiro, provided the highest differentiation. The migration of human populations is one among the possible reasons for this closer resemblance or greater disparity among plants from the various regions

Variabilidade genética de etnovariedades de mandioca em regiões geográficas do Brasil Genetic variability of landraces of cassava in geographical regions of Brazil

O manejo empregado nas roças de agricultura autóctone, utilizando etnovariedades de mandioca (Manihot esculenta Crantz), apresenta papel de destaque na conservação in situ dos recursos genéticos. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo analisar a distribuição da variabilidade genética de 141 etnovariedades de mandioca coletadas em roças de diferentes regiões geográficas do Brasil, através de marcadores isoenzimáticos, revelados a partir de eletroforese em gel de amido. Foram avaliados 11 sistemas isoenzimáticos. Dos 15 locos polimórficos analisados a heterozigosidade média observada foi de 0,354. A estimativa coeficiente de diferenciação genética G ST apresentou valor médio de 8,80% da variabilidade genética entre as regiões. Na análise de agrupamento, observou-se a formação de 3 grupos distintos; o primeiro formado pelas roças originadas da Região Amazônica; o segundo constituído pelas roças do Estado de São Paulo; e o terceiro composto pelas roças originadas da Reserva Indígena do Xingu. A maior parte da variabilidade genética das etnovariedades de mandioca revelou-se concentrada dentro das regiões geográficas, confirmando as pressuposições existentes no modelo de dinâmica evolutiva para a espécie.<br>The management practices used in authoctonous agriculture with landraces of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) play an important role in the in situ conservation of genetic resources. The objective of this work was to analyze the genetic variability present in 141 landraces of cassava, collected in gardens of different geographical regions of Brazil using isozyme techniques visualized by starch gel electrophoresis. Eleven enzymatic systems were analised. Of the 15 polymorphic loci evaluated the observed mean heterozigosity was 0.354. G STestimates presented a value of 8.80% for the genetic variability between regions. In cluster analysis, three distinct groups were observed: the first group was formed by the gardens of the Amazon; the second group consisted of gardens of São Paulo State; and the third group was formed by the gardens of the Xingu region. Most of the genetic variability of cassava landraces was restricted within the geographical regions, which confirmed the evolutionary dynamic model for this species

Morphological variation and isozyme diversity in Dioscorea alata L. landraces from Vale do Ribeira, Brazil

Traditional growers of the Vale do Ribeira, São Paulo State, grow and make use of several D. alata landraces. This study assessed the genetic diversity of 16 landraces, using isozymatic and morphological markers and comparing them with 19 commercial varieties of D. alata. Their distribution in different levels of organization such as households and communities of the Vale do Ribeira was evaluated. Isozymatic analyses were performed with polyacrylamide (six systems) and starch gels (one system), while the morphological analyses were carried out with 24 traits. Due to the polyploid nature of this species, the isozymatic bands were scored as binary data. Morphological traits were also scored as binary data. Principal coordinates and cluster analyses were conducted for both markers, using for the later the Jaccard´s similarity coefficient and UPGMA method. The separation of the landraces from the commercial varieties, which showed lower genetic diversity, was reported for both markers. No correlation between genetic and geographical distances was found for both data, which suggests that the observed variability is not spatially structured. Also, no correlation was found between both markers. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that genetic diversity was mainly found within households for both isozymatic (54%) and morphological (70%) markers. The results obtained for both markers revealed the importance of traditional agriculturists in the Vale do Ribeira in maintaining high diversity for D. alata, even higher than the varieties commercialized in São Paulo State, contributing for the in situ/on farm conservation of this crop