Assessment of the genetic diversity of cocoyam (Xanthosoma spp.) from different regions in Brazil

• Grant number: 12/07629-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2012
• End date: May 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Ann Veasey
• Grantee: Ana Cláudia Pereira Cuenca
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project has as main objective to characterize the genetic diversity of landraces of cocoyam (Xanthosoma spp.) collected in various regions of Brazil, through the use of ISSR (Inter Simple Sequence Repeat) markers. The accessions available to date were obtained in the following municipalities: Cáceres (MT), Viçosa (MG), Iporanga (SP), Ubatuba (SP), Botucatu (SP), Piracicaba (SP), Adrianópolis (PR), Manaus (AM), Iranduba (AM), e Recife (PE). A total of 20 ISSR primers will be evaluated and optimized so that primers showing polymorphic patterns and the presence of sharp bands will be selected. The data will be transformed into binary data (presence/absence of bands). Furthermore, the material will be evaluated by the percentage polymorphism analysis and the polymorphism information content (PIC). Multivariate analyzes such as cluster and principal coordinates analysis will be conducted in order to verify the genetically closest and/or more distant accessions. An analysis of the correlation between genetic and geographical distances will also be conducted, to verify the spatial structure of the material collected.(AU)