Assessment of the genetic diversity and population structure in Moringa oleifera accessions using DNA markers and phenotypic descriptors

Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) is one of the multipurpose trees with significant promise as a high-value crop of industrial importance, having nutritional, therapeutic, and prophylactic properties. Genetic diversity is a cornerstone of any crop improvement program and plays a key role in the selection of promising parental lines for hybrid breeding. Morphological and molecular markers have been proven to be potential tools for the evaluation of genetic diversity, crop genetic improvement, and conservation of plant genetic resources. In the current study, morphological descriptors, RAPD, and SCoT markers were used to determine genetic diversity among 28 M. oleifera accessions. Significant morphological variations were noted for several economic traits across the accessions studied. Four primary clusters were visible on the dendrogram based on phenotypic markers, indicating clustering of accession from a shared geographical habitat. No correlation was estimated between morphological traits, indicating an environmental influence. Three RAPD and seven SCoT primer sets produced 37 and 46 markers, with 53.2 and 71.3% polymorphisms, respectively. Based on genotypic data and the UPGMA approach, all 28 accessions were separated into two major clusters in the phylogenetic tree, irrespective of any geographical areas. The clustering pattern indicates widespread plant species and rapid gene flow through cross-pollination in Moringa populations. Three subpopulations of the involved accessions were identified by population structure analysis; however, there was only a weak link with the location of plant cultivation. The expected heterozygosity for the three subpopulations varied from 0.23 to 0.32, as per R-based structural analysis. AMOVA's attribution of 86% and 19% of all variations to within- and between-populations, respectively, indicates that there has been gene flow across geographic regions. The PCA showed a wide distribution of genotypes in the scatterplot, also suggesting huge genetic variation among the M. oleifera population. The study revealed a significant level of genetic diversity among M. oleifera accessions, which can be harnessed to conserve plant genetic resources and develop high-yielding, nutrient-dense Moringa cultivars.