Variation in gluten strength and yellow pigment in Ethiopian tetraploid wheat germplasm

Ten released varieties and one hundred and eleven tetraploid (2n = 4x = 28, AABB) wheat accessions collected from different major wheat producing regions, consisting of totally 2904 entries were characterized for content of yellow pigment, gluten strength, thousand kernel weights, grain yield, percent of yellow berry, glumes color, awn color, seed color, beak shape and spike density. The objectives were to assess variation with respect to regions of origin, species and altitudinal classes and to study the interrelationships of the qualitative traits used for the study. The accessions and/or released varieties showed significant regional variation for all the traits used in the study, but clinal variation among altitudinal classes and species were significant (P ≤ 0.01) in 6 (60%) and 9 (90%) of the studied traits, respectively. The accessions revealed consistent variation (P ≤ 0.001) within both regions and altitudinal classes for all the traits used in the study. The sedimentation volume was positively correlated with content of yellow pigment, percent of yellow berry, thousand kernel weights, glumes color, awn color, beak shape, seed color and grain yield. The contents of yellow pigment was positively correlated with awn color, beak shape and grain yield, but negatively correlated with seed color and spike density. Generally wide variation was found in the germplasm. Particularly variation was high for the content of the yellow pigment as well as the gluten strength, which provides opportunities to be utilized for genetic improvement.     

Variation of leaf esterases in some Ethiopian tetraploid wheat landraces

Summary Esterase isozymes of tetraploid wheat landraces originating from four localities in the central highlands of Ethiopia were studied using the horizontal starch gel electrophoresis. The landraces studied consisted of 60 Triticum turgidum L., one T. dicoccon Schrank, one T. polonicum L. and an improved local cultivar. One introduced durum cultivar was also included for comparison.A total of 12 esterase zymograms were detected in the landraces. Among these, the types C, A and G were found to be the most prevalent. The esterase isozymes exhibited high variation in the landraces. The esterase zymograms of the introduced durum cultivar and T. dicoccon differed from those of the landraces while the patterns attained in T. polonicum and the improved local cultivar were identical to those of the other landraces.The total number of bands detected was 10, of which 2 were rare, being displayed by only 1 pattern each. The band content of zymograms was in the range of 3–6 and the average was 4. The unique bands were observed in zymograms with both high and low prevalences in the landraces. Two zymograms, including zymogram C which had the highest frequency, occurred in all the localities. The high yielding landraces displayed 4 of the zymograms, one of which belonged to two of the zymograms with widest distribution.     

Diversity, distribution and management of yam landraces (Dioscorea spp.) in Southern Ethiopia

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is widely grown in many parts of Ethiopia and plays a vital role in local subsistence. Nevertheless, its diversity has not been studied in detail. A survey covering 339 farm households and eight districts was conducted in the major yam growing regions of Southern Ethiopia to investigate the diversity and distribution of yam landraces using structured and semi-structured questionnaires. A total of 37 named landraces were recorded, with a range from one to six (mean 2.9) on individual farms. Farmers’ decisions regarding the number and type of landraces maintained was influenced by tolerance of the landraces to drought, their maturity time and market demand. Most landraces had limited abundance and distribution, and only a few dominant landraces were widely grown. There was also variation amongst districts with respect to diversity, distribution and abundance of the landraces found. In the majority of the localities surveyed, farmers reported a decreasing trend in the number of landraces maintained on individual farms and in the overall yam production. Besides, in those limited areas where yam production is expanding, farmers are increasingly relying on a few selected landraces that mature early. Findings of this study suggest that local farmers in Wolayita and Gamo-Gofa zones maintain considerable yam diversity that remains to be further explored for sustainable utilization and conservation of the available genetic resources.     

Genetic diversity in Ethiopian hexaploid and tetraploid wheat germplasm assessed by microsatellite markers

The genetic diversity of a subset of the Ethiopian genebank collection maintained at the IPK Gatersleben was investigated applying 22 wheat microsatellites (WMS). The material consisted of 135 accessions belonging to the species T. aestivum L. (69 accessions), T. aethiopicum Jacubz. (54 accessions) and T. durum Desf. (12 accessions), obtained from different collection missions. In total 286 alleles were detected, ranging from 4 to 26 per WMS. For the three species T. aestivum, T. aethiopicum and T. durum on average 9.9, 7.9 and 7.9 alleles per locus, respectively, were observed. The average PIC values per locus were highly comparable for the three species analysed. Considering the genomes it was shown that the largest numbers of alleles per locus occurred in the B genome (18.4 alleles per locus) compared to A (10.1 alleles per locus) and D (8.2 alleles per locus) genomes. Genetic dissimilarity values between accessions were used to produce a dendrogram. All accessions could be distinguished, clustering in two large groups. Whereas T. aestivum formed a separate cluster, no clear discrimination between the two tetraploid species T. durum and T. aethiopicum was observed.     

Molecular diversity of Omani wheat revealed by microsatellites: I. Tetraploid landraces

Results of archaeological studies indicate a millennia-old cultivation history for wheat (Triticum spp.) in Oman. However, in spite of numerous collection surveys and efforts for phenotypic characterization of Omani wheat landraces, no attempts have been made using molecular tools to characterize this germplasm. To fill this gap, 29 microsatellite markers revealing 30 loci were used to study the genetic diversity of 38 tetraploid wheat landrace accessions comprising the species T. dicoccon, T. durum and T. aethiopicum. A total of 219 alleles were detected whereby the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 16 with an average number of 7.1 alleles per locus. The highest number of alleles occurred in the B genome with on average 7.9 alleles per locus as compared to the A genome with 6.5 alleles per locus. Heterogeneity was detected for all microsatellites except for GWM 312, GWM 601 and GWM 192B with an average heterogeneity over all primers and lines of 14.4%. Approximately 10% of the accessions contained rare alleles with an average allele frequency <4%. Gene diversity across microsatellite loci ranged from 0.26 to 0.85. The pairwise comparison of genetic similarity ranged from 0.03 to 0.91 with an average of 0.2. Cluster analysis revealed a clear separation of the two species groups T. dicoccon versus T. durum and T. aethiopicum. Within the species clusters regional patterns of subclustering were observed. Overall, this study confirmed the existence of a surprisingly high amount of genetic diversity in Omani wheat landraces as already concluded from previous morphological analyses and showed that SSR markers can be used for landraces’ analysis and a more detailed diversity evaluation.     

Farmers’ Perception and Genetic Erosion of Tetraploid Wheats Landraces in Ethiopia

Assessing genetic erosion has been suggested as the first priority in any major effort to arrest loss of genetic diversity. In Ethiopia, although it is generally accepted that significant amount of genetic erosion has occurred and is still occurring, there is little data on its amount and extent. Thus, this study is conducted to quantify the extent of genetic erosion in Ethiopian tetraploid wheat landraces and to identify major causes of genetic erosion. To this end, a field survey of 126 farmers, randomly selected over five districts in eastern, south-eastern and central highlands of Ethiopia during 2001/2002 and 2002/2003 main cropping seasons was undertaken. Questioner was used to collect primary data from farmers who are potentially rich sources of information on genetic erosion at the variety level. Additional data were collected through key informant interviewing. Moreover, resampling was made from Tulo, Chiro and Harar Zuriya districts in eastern Ethiopia. Analysis of history profiles from primary and secondary data indicated a reduction in the use of local varieties over years. Triticum polonicum and T. turgidum are becoming very localized, and therefore, they are under greater threat of extinction. Using the calculation scheme: gene erosion=100%−gene integrity, i.e., the still extant landraces, genetic erosion was calculated for the three different areas where resamplings were made. Genetic erosion of 100% was observed both in T. durum and T. dicoccon in Tulo district. Likewise, genetic erosion of 85.7, 100 and 77.8%, respectively, was calculated for T. durum, T. turgidum and T. dicoccon in Chiro district. In Harar Zuriya, a genetic erosion of 88.9% for T. durum and 100% both in T. turgidum and T. dicoccon was detected. Number of farmers growing landraces of tetraploid wheats drastically decreased in all surveyed areas in the past decades. Displacement of landraces by other crops was the prominent factor for ending landrace cultivation. Farmers’ preference to yield potential and cash crops subsequently reduced the chance of maintaining landraces. Institutional factors like access to credit and the extension advice have influenced farmers’ decision regarding cultivar choice. In all surveyed areas, the most important initial source of seed of improved wheat varieties is the seed credit from the Ministry of Agriculture which uses a ‘plant now, pay later’ scheme to promote the distribution of improved varieties and fertilizers. The problem of genetic erosion through inappropriate maintenance of ex situ collections was also recognized and discussed.     

Geographic variation in tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. turgidum convar. durum) landraces from two provinces in Ethiopia

There is considerable wealth of genetical and morphological variation in tetraploid wheat collected from Ethiopia by past expeditions. Several authors have speculated on the reasons for this concentration of diversity so far removed from the centre of origin of wheats in West Asia. The present study reports results of evaluation carried out on material collected in the early 1970's from Ethiopia. The landraces from the two provinces Shewa and Tigray were found to be distinctly different. This divergence was attributed to the differences in environmental conditions between them. Wide differentiation among landraces within each province was also present. The Ethiopian farmer's practice of growing composite cultivars in the field has resulted in bulk samples of Ethiopian landraces containing several agrotypes. The proportion of total variance due to differences among agrotypes within landraces was by far the greatest found in this study, followed in most cases by the variation among landrace populations within provinces which exceeded, in turn, the variation between province gene pools. The optimal strategy for further germplasm collections and implications for improvement and conservation in locally-based community gene banks are discussed.     

Analysis of Microsatellite Diversity in Ethiopian Tetraploid Wheat Landraces

The extent and patterns of microsatellite diversity in 141 Ethiopian tetraploid wheat landraces consisting of three species Triticum durum Desf., T. dicoccon Schrank and T. turgidum L. were analyzed using 29 microsatellite markers. A high level of polymorphism and a large number of alleles unique for each species were detected. Compared to emmer (T. dicoccon) and poulard (T. turgidum) wheats, a higher genetic diversity was observed in T. durum. The A-genome was more polymorphic than the B-genome in all the three species. Microsatellites with (GA) _n -repeats had a higher number of alleles than (GT) _n -repeats. A species pairwise comparison was made to determine the percentage of shared alleles and a large number of common alleles among species were observed. Average gene diversity, across the 29 microsatellite loci, was 0.684 for T. durum, 0.616 for T. dicoccon and 0.688 for T. turgidum. Genetic distances were lower between T. durum and T. turgidum (0.26) than between T. durum and T. dicoccon (0.34) or between T. turgidum and T. dicoccon (0.38). A significant correlation (p < 0.01) was found between the number of alleles per locus and the gene diversity in all the three species. Allelic frequency variation was highest between T. turgidum and T. dicoccon (10.62%) and lowest between T. durum and T. turgidum (4.86%). A genetic similarity coefficient of 0.34, 0.46 and 0.37 was found in T. durum, T. dicoccon, and T. turgidum, respectively. The dendogram, which was constructed on the basis of a similarity matrix using the UPGMA algorithm, distinguished all accessions represented in the study.     

Diversity and distribution patterns of enset landraces in Sidama, Southern Ethiopia

Diversity and distribution of enset landraces (clones) were investigated in 300 randomly selected peasant households at ten different locations in the Sidama region of Ethiopia using presence-or-absence data. A total of 86 named landraces were recorded, making the region an area of remarkably high enset landrace diversity. A substantial fraction of the landraces had a restricted distribution range and low abundance while a number were moderately common with the remaining few being cosmopolitan. Regional distribution was positively correlated with local abundance, such that more widespread landraces were also typically more abundant (r = 0.78, p < .01). Landrace diversity was not evenly distributed throughout the region, the highest diversity being recorded in mountain areas (r = 0.71, p < .05). Farmers exchange planting materials extensively, resulting in a fairly high (up to 70%) coefficient of similarity among sites. Implications for the collection and conservation of enset genetic resources are discussed.     

Species Diversity in Wheat Landrace Populations from two Regions of Ethiopia

Wheat (Triticum spp.) landrace populations in Ethiopia are mostly species mixtures. However, no quantitative data is available with regard to their species components. We studied here 32 wheat landrace populations originating from two regions (Bale and Wello). A total of 2559 individual plants, 45–110 plants representing each population, were classified into their species components. Five tetraploid (2n = 4x = 28) and one hexaploid (2n = 6x = 42) wheat species were found in mixtures of varying proportions. These included the tetraploids Triticum durum Desf., Triticum turgidum L., Triticum aethiopicum Jakubz., Triticum polonicum L., Triticum dicoccon Schrank and the hexaploid Triticum aestivum L. Also found, however in a rare frequency, in two populations from Wollo was T. durum Desf. convar. durocompactoides Flaksb. (Triticum pyramidale Percival), which is a very dense spiked durum. Discriminant analysis using seven qualitative traits revealed 91.5% correct classification of the wheat species, beak awn and awn length with the most significant importance. Single species were found in eight of the populations; six were for T. durum and two for T. aethiopicum. Two to three species-combinations were the most frequent; a maximum of four species was recorded in one population. The highest diversity index (H′) observed was 0.44. T. durum was the most predominant species. The hexaploid T. aestivum was found in nine of the Wollo populations and, in one population, its frequency reached up to 35.5%. On altitudinal basis, no clear trend of clinal variation was observed both from the frequency distributions and H′ estimates. The results confirmed that Ethiopian wheats, despite the morphological overlaps, could be classified into their species components with high degree of certainty. For the future, therefore, genetic diversity estimations should be dissolved into their species components for more expeditious utilization and conservation of this important genetic resource.     

Genetic erosion of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) in the centre of diversity, Ethiopia

The Ethiopian region is characterised by a wide range of agro-climatic conditions, which accounted for the enormous resources of agro-biodiversity that exist in the country. The most important of these resources is the immense genetic diversity of the various crop plants in the country. Of these, one of the most on farm genetically diverse crops is sorghum. Since the advent of formal breeding in particular after green revolution, genetic diversity of most crops has been threatened worldwide. In order to assess on farm genetic erosion (GE), various research methodologies were employed. These were focused group interviews with 360 farmers, on farm monitoring and participation with 120 farmers, key informant interviews with 60 farmers and development agents, and semi-structured interviews with 250 farmers. Besides, diversity fairs were done with over 1200 farmers. Notwithstanding the complexity of assessing GE, it was assessed by various methods; namely, by temporal method (comparing 1960 and 2000 collections), area method, and semi-structured interview method at individual, community or wereda level and causes of varietal loss from other various perspectives. Farmers perceived GE as the reduced importance of the variety as indicated by lower proportion in the varietal portfolio. The five most important factors for varietal loss at individual farmers’ level were reduced benefit from the varieties, drought, Khat expansion, reduced land size and introduction of other food crops respectively. GE was not affected by wealth groups and ecological regions. Farmers do not make simple replacement as a strategic mechanism for genetic resources management. GE at regional level was quantified by temporal and spatial method. There was a complementation not rivalry between farmer varieties (FVs) and improved varieties (IVs). The whole process of GE is explained by three models, namely: Bioecogeographic enhanced genetic erosion model, Farmer induced genetic erosion model and Farmer-cum-bioecogeographic genetic erosion model. As aforementioned, sorghum genetic erosion behaviour is completely different from other food crops such as tetraploid wheat. The prediction in the late seventies that complete erosion of FVs by IVs by the end of the eighties, the principle of GE that competition between IVs and FVs, favours the former and results in the replacement of the latter is not valid in the context of sorghum in Ethiopia. Hence, maintenance of the on farm genetic diversity of sorghum is a reality but GE is rhetoric.     

Genetic diversity of HMW glutenin subunits in diploid,tetraploid and hexaploid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum</Emphasis> species

The genetic variations of high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenin subunits in 1051 accessions of 13 Triticum subspecies were investigated using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. A total of 37 alleles were detected, resulting in 117 different allele combinations, among which 20, 68 and 29 combinations were observed in diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid wheats, respectively. Abundance and frequency of allele and combinations in tetraploid wheats were higher than these in hexaploid wheats. Allele Glu-A1c was the most frequent subunit at Glu-A1 locus in tetraploid and hexaploid wheats. Consequently, the results also suggested that the higher variations occurred at Glu-B1 locus compared to Glu-A1 and Glu-D1. Therefore, carthlicum wheat possessing the allele 1Ay could be presumed a special evolutional approach distinguished from other tetraploid species. Furthermore, this provides a convenient approach of induction of the 1Ay to common wheat through direct cross with carthlicum wheat. Alleles Glu-B1c and Glu-B1i generally absent in tetraploid wheats were also found in tetraploid wheats. Our results implied that tetraploid and hexaploid wheats were distinguished in dendrogram, whereas carthlicum and spelta wheats and however displayed the unique performance. In addition, founder effect, no-randomness of diploidization, mutation and artificial selection could cause allele distribution of HMW-GS in Triticum. All alleles of HMW-GS in Triticum could be further utilized through hybrid in the quality improvement of common wheat.     

Reaction to powdery mildew and stripe rust in related species and landraces of wheat

Field and controlled environmental tests indicated that the 49 accessions of closely related species and 12 landraces of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell.) from the National Gene Bank of China showed different reactions to powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis (DC.) E. O. Speer. f. sp. tritici) and stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis Westend f. sp. tritici) at adult and seedling stages. Unknown Pm genes or alleles were postulated with Triticum baeoticum Boiss. accessions BO 3 and Triticum monococcum L. MO 4 and MO 5 when inoculated with 21 powdery mildew isolates at seedling stage. Fourteen accessions of T. baeoticum, T. monococcum, Triticum durum, and wheat landraces were inoculated with 30 stripe rust isolates at seedling stage. Unknown Yr genes or alleles were postulated with T. baeoticum Boiss. accession BO 5, as well as wheat landraces Xiaobaimai, Laomangmai, and Shaanxibai. Heterogeniety in reaction to powdery mildew isolates and stripe rust races were observed in related species and landraces of wheat.     

Natural and human selection for purple-grain tetraploid wheats in the Ethiopian highlands

Summary Purple-grain tetraploid wheats (Triticum turgidum L.) are widely cultivated in the Ethiopian highlands despite the claim that they have lower industrial quality properties and market prices than the white or red/brown seed-colour types. In an attempt to find a possible explanation for this, the three seed-colour groups were compared for grain yield, other 11 agronomic traits and protein content. Five traits displayed significant differences between seed colour groups where the purple-seed was superior; earlier maturity, shorter height, and higher fertility, tillering capacity and harvest index. Most of these are important adaptive traits to waterlogging stress on dark-clay soils (pellic vertisols) where the great bulk of the Ethiopian tetraploid wheats have been grown. Furthermore, among the three seed-colour groups, purple-seed wheat has the best malting quality for the preparation of arekie, a locally distilled spirituous liquor. It, therefore, appears that both natural and human selections have been reponsible for their continued cultivation. Hence, the notion that purple-seeded wheat is the “least preferred” should be interpreted carefully not to necessarily address the whole community in Ethiopia. As to their taxonomy, all tetraploid wheat taxa (T. turgidum L. sensu lato, 2n = 4x = 28) that are found in Ethiopia, with the possible exception of T. dicoccon Shrank (locally known as Adja), may possess the purple pericarp-colour, although in varying frequencies; very low inT. polonicum L., and high inT. carthlicum Nevski andT. durum Desf.     

Morphological and farmers cognitive diversity of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. [Poaceae]) at Bale and North Shewa of Ethiopia

Twenty two accessions of barley landrace/farmers' varieties collected from Bale and North Shewa in situ conservation zones were characterised using 18 qualitative and quantitative morphological traits. Phenotypic frequencies for individual qualitative characters across in situ conservation zones, districts, and strategic sites (localities) have shown mixed and some peculiar patterns. Varieties from Bale conservation zone are predominantly white-yellow seeded whereas varieties from North Shewa are purple-black seeded. White-yellow seeded varieties are more frequent in the lower altitude examined, and the purple-black seeded varieties are more frequent at the highest altitude ( 2650 ). While six row types occur at higher frequencies in almost all the sites in North Shewa, the irregular types are dominant at Bale. The highest frequency of six row types is found at an altitude 2650 , whereas the two rowed and irregular types are found below 2650 . Two row types occur at low frequency at both sites. At Bale, glume awn shorter than glume is the most frequent character whereas glume awn longer than glume is more frequent at North Shewa. Glume awn longer than glume appears to increase with increasing altitude. Caryopsis cover is relatively monomorphic with respect to distribution across zones. The covered types are most frequent in almost all altitudinal ranges. Estimates of diversity index (H) for individual qualitative characters suggest that polymorphism is common in varying degrees for most characters, which indicates the existence of wide range of variation. On the basis of cross validation using discriminant function among the quantitative characters, the landrace varieties from North Shewa seem to be more diverse than the ones from Bale. From the results of multiple regression analysis, the zonal variation is significantly associated with all the quantitative morpho-agronomic characters except plant height. The great majority of the varieties from Bale were perfectly identified and named by farmers. The reliability analysis confirmed that there was a remarkable positive degree of consistency between farmers naming of landrace varieties.     

Quantitave evaluation of Ethiopian landraces of lentil (Lens culinaris)

Summary One hundred and fifty-six landrace populations of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) collected from 10 provinces in Ethiopia were evaluated for a set of six quantitative traits at three sites contrasting in altitude. Consistent regional differences among landraces were found for time to flower and maturity, 100-seed weight, number of seeds/pod and plant height. The regional differences were clarified by a discriminant analysis based on 100-seed weight, time to flower and plant height. The lentil of the West Highlands was early and short, that of the North Highlands was large-seeded, whereas lentils from the Central Highlands were the least distinctive group. Selection for seed size was the result of local human preferences. Humans were probably also responsible for the lack of adaptive value of plant phenology in relation to altitude. Selection for seed yield at the low and middle elevation sites gave a positive response to selection at both sites. However, selection for yield at the highland site did not give a positive response elsewhere, indicating that adaptation to highland conditions differed from that at lower elevations.     

Current status of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) genetic resources in Ethiopia: implications for conservation

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current situation of coffee genetic resources that are dwindling at an alarming rate in Ethiopia, the centre of diversity of Coffea arabica. Firstly, we describe the coffee growing systems (forest coffee, semi-forest coffee, garden coffee and plantation coffee) and recent research on the genetic diversity of the coffee planting material associated with those systems. Whilst the maximum genetic diversity revealed by DNA-based markers is found in the forest coffees of the south-western highlands, the natural habitat of C. arabica, the taxonomy of coffee landraces is particularly rich in garden coffee systems located in ancient growing zones such as Harerge in eastern Ethiopia. After reviewing the factors involved in the genetic erosion of the Ethiopian genepool, we give an update on the status of coffee genetic resources conserved ex situ in the field genebank of the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre, with 4,780 accessions spread over 10 research stations located in the main production areas, and in the main genebank of the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation located in Choche (Limu) with 5,196 accessions conserved. Lastly, we mention the in situ conservation operations currently being implemented in Ethiopia. Improving our knowledge of the genetic structure of Ethiopian forest and garden coffee tree populations as well as genetic resources conserved ex situ will help to plan the future conservation strategy for that country. To this end, modern tools as DNA-based markers should be used to increase our understanding of coffee genetic diversity and it is proposed, with the support of the international scientific community and donor organizations, to undertake a concerted effort to rescue highly threatened Arabica coffee genetic resources in Ethiopia.

Genetic Diversity Among Traditional Ethiopian Highland Maize Accessions Assessed by Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers

Over the past three centuries, maize has become adapted to complex environmental conditions in the highlands of Ethiopia. We analyzed 62 traditional Ethiopian highland maize accessions, using 20 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and 15 morphological traits, to assess genetic diversity and relationships among these accessions and to assess the level of correlation between phenotypic and genetic distances. The accessions varied significantly for all of the measured morphological traits. The average number of alleles per locus was 4.9. Pair-wise genetic dissimilarity coefficients ranged from 0.27 to 0.63 with a mean of 0.49. Ward minimum variance cluster analysis showed that accessions collected from the Northern agroecology were distinct from the Western and Southern agroecologies. However, there was no differentiation between the Western and Southern accessions. This suggested gene flow between these regions. The relationship between morphological and SSR-based distances was significant and positive (r = 0.43, p = 0.001). The high genetic diversity observed among these set of accessions, suggests ample opportunity for the development of improved varieties for different agroecologies of Ethiopia. From conservation perspective, sampling many accessions from all agroecologies would be an effective way of capturing genetic variation for future collections and conservation.     

Inverse Sequence-tagged Repeat (ISTR) Analysis of Genetic Variability in Forest Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) from Ethiopia

Genetic diversity in forest coffee (Coffea arabica L.) was estimated using inverse sequence-tagged repeat (ISTR) markers. One hundred ninety two samples representing 16 populations of C. arabica from four regions of Ethiopia were analyzed with 12 pairs of forward and backward ISTR primer combinations. A total of 144 reproducible bands were generated out of which 37 (25%) were polymorphic and scored as present (1) or absent (0) data matrix. This data was used to compute Jaccard coefficient to estimate genetic variability among all possible pairs of samples. The proportion of polymorphic bands within populations ranged from 19% for Bale-3, to 54% for Walega-2 populations. Un-weighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) based cluster analysis generated two clusters at 56% similarity value. The samples were clustered on the basis of their geographical origin, which could be attributed to a few region specific banding patterns detected. However, within regions most of the samples failed to cluster on the basis of their respective populations, which may be due to the presence of substantial gene flow between local populations in the form of seedlings carried out by farmers. The results may provide information to develop strategies for in situ conservation.     

Patterns of morphological diversity in tetraploid wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) landraces from Ethiopia

Thirty‐four tetraploid (2n = 4x = 28) wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) landrace populations collected from four regions in Ethiopia, and consisting of 4099 entries were characterized for glume colour, glume pubescence, beak awn, seed colour and spike density. The main objective was to analyse the diversity and distribution of these traits on the basis of administrative regions and altitudinal gradients. The Shannon‐Weaver Diversity Index (H') was used to estimate the magnitude of diversity. With the exception of spike density, all characters were polymorphic in all regions and most altitude groups. However, clinal patterns were observed in only a few cases. At the population level, the mean H’ varied from completely monomorphic (H’ = 0.00) to highly polymorphic (H’ = 0.80 ± 0.07). The highest diversity was found in regions with relatively better climatic conditions and in optimal altitude ranges. On country basis, seed colour (H’ = 0.98) and spike density (H’ = 0.43) displayed the highest and the lowest diversity indices, respectively. Spike density was the only character that exhibited significant differences (P<0.01) both “between regions”; and “between altitude groups”;. Across characters, most of the variance was due to the lowest hierarchy, the “within‐population”; component. The “between region”; and “between altitude group”; variances were significant, but spike density alone was responsible for the differences. The overall mean H’ for Ethiopia was 0.77 + 0.09 and did not seem to have reduced appreciably within the past 25 years or so, when compared to previous estimates.