Diversity analysis and genome‑wide association studies of seed weight trait in Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) using diversity array technology sequence derived single nucleotide polymorphism markers

Abstract
Bambara groundnut is an indigenous drought tolerant legume cultivated in Africa. In Kenya, the crop is grown by women and the diver- sity of the accessions grown is unknown. Lack of information on the crop’s diversity and population structure make genetic improvement of the crop dif- fcult. The objectives of this study were to: (i) deter- mine the genetic diversity and population structure of 86 Bambara groundnut accessions from Kenya using 4,399 SNP markers and, (ii) identify SNPs associated with the seed weight of the Bambara groundnut col- lection. The DArT complexity reduction approach in combination with Illumina short-read sequencing (HiSeq 2000) was applied. Population structure anal- ysis suggested three genetic clusters. Accessions from the same county grouped into diferent clusters with exception of accessions from Kilif that distinctly fell into the same cluster. Analysis of molecular vari- ance indicated that 0.16% of the variance was due to genetic diferentiation among the populations, 19% of the variance was as a result of diferentiation among individuals within populations, and 81% variation was within individuals in a population. The study suggested signifcant DArTseq derived SNP mark- ers (p<0.05) distributed across Bambara groundnut contigs 1, 2, 3, and 5 associated with hundred seed weight, though the identifed SNPs were not vali- dated. This study provided an important foundation by ofering valuable insights into the genetic diversity of Bambara groundnut in traditional cultivation areas in Kenya. These fndings can serve as a starting point for further validation and application in Bambara groundnut breeding programs.
Description
Article
Keywords
DArT markers, Genetic diversity, Population structure, Genome wide association, Vigna subterranea, SNP markers
Citation
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-025-03478-8