不同地理来源旱稻种质资源的遗传多样性分析

用38对SSR引物对144份不同地理来源的旱稻种质资源进行遗传多样性分析。结果表明,共检测到137个等位变异,平均每对引物检测到3.6个,等位变异范围2~9。Nei基因多样性指数（He）在0.440（RM162）~0.854（RM335）之间,平均0.598。旱稻种质资源亚种间SSR多样性差异明显,籼稻的等位基因数目和Nei基因多样性指数（Na = 3.5,He = 0.558）明显高于粳稻（Na = 3.2,He = 0.415）。Nei基因多样性指数以亚洲最高,非洲最低,亚洲其他（He = 0.594）>中国（He = 0.593）>南美（He = 0.545）>非洲（He = 0.512）。AMOVA分析表明,旱稻种质资源的遗传变异主要来自亚种内（占总变异的76.3％）,亚种间遗传分化极显著。系统聚类能较好地区分籼粳亚种,但不能区分地理组。旱稻种质资源丰富的遗传多样性为水稻节水抗旱品种的选育提供了条件。     

Root and shoot responses of upland New Rice for Africa varieties to fluctuating soil moisture conditions as affected by different levels of nitrogen fertilization

Drought cycling and soil re-watering trends due to intermittent rainfall patterns are key stress factors that influence rice growth and yield under upland cultivation conditions. However, upland rice adaptation responses to fluctuating soil moisture conditions remain poorly understood. This study investigated root and shoot responses of upland New Rice for Africa (NERICA) varieties to episodic drought and re-watering during growth. We examined root and shoot growth of NERICA 1 and NERICA 4 compared with those of IR72, an improved lowland variety, and Dular, a traditional drought-tolerant variety, in terms of soil moisture fluctuations with different levels of nitrogen fertilization under field conditions that impeded deep root development. During soil moisture fluctuation, all varieties reduced shoot dry weight compared with well-watered plants, regardless of nitrogen fertilization levels. However, total root length for the three upland varieties was enhanced by soil moisture fluctuations at moderate and high nitrogen fertilization, while that of the lowland variety was reduced. Comparing root development during water fluctuations revealed that NERICA 1 had a greater root system than NERICA 4, which was attributed to lateral root development. Furthermore, we found that NERICA varieties increase lateral root mass during soil desiccation under adequate nitrogen fertilization, while Dular and IR72 reduced their root growth rate during drought and increased it after re-watering. Both root growth patterns developed, from around maximum tillering to heading. The analysis of regression between root elongation and shoot growth with fluctuating soil moisture indicated that an enhanced root system during drought, on adequate nitrogen fertilization, can contribute to shoot growth when sufficient water becomes available, specifically around the maximum tillering to the heading growth stage of rice.     

Variation in root penetration ability, osmotic adjustment and dehydration tolerance among accessions of rice adapted to rainfed lowland and upland ecosystems

Drought is the major constraint limiting rainfed rice production. The ability of rice roots to penetrate compacted soils and therefore to increase water extraction capacity, osmotic adjustment and dehydration tolerance of leaves enables the plant to tolerate drought. Experiments were conducted to determine the extent of genetic variation in root penetration index, osmotic adjustment and dehydration tolerance among indica accessions adapted to rainfed lowlands as well as traditional varieties from rainfed uplands. Root penetration index was evaluated in a system using wax–petrolatum layers to simulate soil compaction. Osmotic adjustment and dehydration tolerance were studied under slow development of water stress. Substantial genetic variation was found for root penetration index, osmotic adjustment and dehydration tolerance among indica ecotypes from lowlands, and the study of several traditional varieties from uplands showed variation in root penetration index and related root traits. An indica accession, IR58821‐23‐B‐1‐2‐1 had a high root penetration index of 0.38. The accessions, IR61079‐33‐1‐2‐2‐3, IR62266‐42‐6‐2 and IR63919‐38‐B‐1 had high osmotic adjustment capacities (1.91, 1.90 and 1.78 MPa, respectively); IR61079‐33‐1‐2‐2‐3 also had high dehydration tolerance. Good osmotic adjustment and dehydration tolerance were associated with poor root system. The traditional varieties ‘Kallurundaikar’ and ‘Norungan’ had higher root penetration indices (0.46 and 0.43, respectively), than even the japonica accessions. The study identified indica accessions and traditional varieties with superior root‐ and shoot‐related drought resistance traits that could be used in breeding for drought resistance in rice.     

旱稻渗入系抽穗期根系性状定位

摘 要：[目的]研究稻作抗旱的根系特征及其遗传机理,发掘旱稻有利基因,从水旱稻杂交中选育高产耐旱的稻作品种提供理论基础和研究材料。[方法]以旱稻豪格劳为供体亲本,水稻沈农265为受体亲本,利用187个SSR标记构建了一套具有180个家系的旱稻渗入系群体,并采用单标记分析法,对拔节期根系6个性状：最长根长、粗根数、总根数、平均最粗根粗、根干重、总干重进行QTL定位。[结果]抽穗期共检测到QTL38个,其中影响上述六个性状的QTL数目分别是6、6、4、6、4和12,它们的总贡献率分别为29%、27%、21%、33%、23%和61%。除此,在粗根数和总根数中分别检测到3个和1个来自豪格劳的等位基因的加性效应为负,其余均为正。除平均根粗外,其它5个性状的加性效应都较大。[结论]89.5%的渗入位点对以沈农265为遗传背景的渗入系的6个性状根系有促进作用;定位到的影响不同根系性状的QTL多数成簇、集中分布;RM3853附近定位到影响四个性状的QTL,推测是一个在抽穗期与根系性状和抗旱密切相关的基因簇。     

Analysis of the molecular diversity of Kenyan sorghum germplasm using microsatellites

The aim of this study was to estimate the extent of the genetic diversity present in sorghum germplasm grown in Kenya using simple sequence repeat markers. A total of 139 accessions were genotyped using 11 microsatellite markers or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and the genetic diversity was estimated. The markers showed a wide range of differences in quality index from 0.005 to 0.39. The average Polymorphic Information Content value observed was 0.6241 indicating a high level of diversity. The gene diversity index ranged between 0.2419 and 0.9313 with a mean of 0.6627 per locus. A total of 105 alleles were observed with an average of 10.4 alleles per locus. The average heterozygosity level per locus was low at 0.1717. The variability within accessions among the populations was 74.85% and within individual accessions was 18.67%. The results showed that genetic diversity within Kenyan sorghum germplasm accessions is higher than that between the different populations. It is implied that such genetic diversity can be exploited as such or in hybridization programs to improve sorghum varieties currently grown by subsistence farmers in Kenya.     

籼稻品种的氮素累积量与根系性状的关系

2001和2002年,在群体水培条件下,分别以国内外不同年代育成的籼稻代表品种88个和122个为材料,测定植株的干物重、全氮含量以及13个有关根系性状,采用组内最小平方和的动态聚类方法对供试籼稻品种成熟期的氮素累积量进行聚类,分析不同氮素累积量类型籼稻品种根系有关性状的差异以及影响籼稻品种氮素累积量的主要根系性状。结果表明：(1) 供试籼稻品种成熟期氮素累积量差异很大,2001年A、B、C、D、E、F类籼稻品种的氮素累积量分别为10.40、13.47、16.17、18.50、20.72、25.13 g·m^-2,2002年分别为8.53、12.44、15.80、19.87、25.15、33.31 g·m^-2,类型间的差异均达显著水平;（2）全生育期天数和每日氮素吸收量对品种成熟期氮素累积量均有显著影响（R² = 0.960～0.996）,并且后者显著大于前者;（3）成熟期氮素累积量与单株不定根数、单株根干重、单株不定根总长、单株根系总吸收面积、单株根系活跃吸收面积、单株根系α-NA氧化量等全株根系性状关系密切,与单条不定根长、单条不定根粗、单条不定根重等单条不定根性状和单位干重根系总吸收面积、单位干重根系活跃吸收面积等单位干重根系活性指标关系不密切;（4）多元逐步回归分析表明,单株根干重、冠根比、单株不定根数和单株不定根总长是影响籼稻品种氮素累积量的主要根系性状（R²=0.429～0.591）。     

中国三系杂交稻恢复系资源的遗传多样性

以来自全国6个稻区16个省（市、自治区）及外引的128份三系杂交稻恢复系为试验材料，采用均匀分布于水稻12条染色体的36对SSR引物及9个表型性状标记进行遗传多样性分析。根据SSR标记检测结果，基于遗传距离的Neibor-jointing聚类显示128份恢复系可分为6个类群，籼亚种（83.2%）和野败型（82.6%）大多数分布于类群1和类群2，粳亚种（81.5%）和BT型（78.6%）大部分聚在类群3，红莲型（75%）相对集中于类群1。系谱分析显示，含有IR24血缘的材料分布于4个聚类群，而明恢63及其衍生系则分布非常集中。36对SSR引物在128份恢复系中共检测出281个等位变异，平均每个位点8.0个，平均遗传多样性指数(He)为0.6190，其中籼亚种（0.5770）略高于粳亚种（0.5656），但未达显著水平。按恢保类型，BT型(0.5816)>野败型(0.5705)>红莲型(0.4989)，野败型与BT型无显著差异，但二者均显著高于红莲型。按不同地理来源，He呈现南方稻区大于北方稻区，以华中双单季稻稻区(0.6057)最高，与其他稻区差异极显著差异；其次为西南高原单双季稻稻区(0.5326)；华北单季稻稻区(0.3902)最小，与其他稻区也差异极显著。表型性状检测的标记表明，平均Shannon-Weiner多样性指数为1.3980，其中籼、粳亚种分别为1.3746和1.3789，未达显著差异；不同恢保类型表现为BT型(1.4026)>野败型(1.3567)>红莲型(1.1732)。表型性状与SSR标记结果表现出一致性，相关系数分别为0.9981*（按亚种）、0.9418（按恢保类型）和0.8835**（按稻区）。     

Assessing the genetic diversity of Portuguese maize germplasm using microsatellite markers

A collection of Portuguese maize accessions representing a valuable source of genes for introduction into modern cultivars is stored at the Portuguese Plant Germplasm Bank (Banco Português de Germoplasma Vegetal—BPGV). To assess genetic diversity among inbreds, microsatellite analysis was carried out for 54 inbred lines representing the diversity of Portuguese dent and flint maize germplasm. Fifty American and other European elite inbreds were also analysed for comparison. Fifteen microsatellite loci distributed throughout the maize genome were chosen based on their repeat unit and base composition. A total of 80 alleles were detected with an average allele number of 5.33 per locus. Polymorphism information content (PIC) values and observed genetic distances showed the existence of large variability among inbreds. Cluster analysis indicated that almost all of the inbreds could be distinguished from each other and Portuguese inbreds were present in all clusters formed. These associations were consistent with the known pedigree records of the inbreds, confirming a mixed origin of Portuguese materials. Comparative analysis of microsatellite diversity among groups was established according to important traits for both breeding and line identification. This revealed that, although most of the genetic diversity (>95%) was attributable to differences among inbreds of different groups, the existence of phenotypic differentiation in endosperm colour, kernel type and cob colour could be suggested for grouping. These findings support the joint use of molecular and morphological traits in management of the germplasm collection. In this study, SSR markers proved to be effective to characterise and identify maize inbred lines, and demonstrate associations among them. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Morphological and genetic diversity analysis of rice accessions (Oryza sativa L.) differing in iron toxicity tolerance

A major emphasis in breeding for iron toxicity tolerance in rice is to identify differences that are associated with resistance and harness them for genetic improvement. In this study, thirty accessions, including IRRI gene bank accessions, two varieties from Brazil, 8 cultivars from West Africa and 10 cultivars from Uganda were analyzed for sensitivity to iron toxicity, and genetic diversity using morphological and SSR markers. Two genotypes, IR61612-313-16-2-2-1 and Suakoko 8 showed significantly high resistance with an average score of ≤ 3.5 on 1–9 scale. The SRR markers were highly informative and showed mean polymorphism information content (pic) of 0.68. The PIC values revealed that RM10793, RM3412, RM333, RM562, RM13628, RM310, RM5749, and RM154 could be the best markers for genetic diversity estimation of these rice cultivars. Diversity at the gene level showed an average of 4.61 alleles ranging from 2 to 12 per locus. Mean gene diversity (H) value for all SSR loci for the 30 genotypes evaluated was 0.69 but was decreased to 0.53 when analysis was performed on Ugandan accessions. The low genetic diversity found among the Ugandan accessions is the evidence of a narrow genetic base, and such a scenario has a potential vulnerability for resistance break down. A low correlation was detected between the observed molecular and morphological datasets. This means that a combination of morphological traits and SSR analysis would be required when assessing genetic variation under iron toxic conditions, and could be a practical strategy for breeders when planning crosses. A distinction between the resistant and susceptible accessions in both phenotyping and SSR datasets suggests the presence of unique alleles that could be harnessed for improvement of rice against iron toxicity.     

中原牡丹品种初级核心种质构建与代表性检验

以400个中原牡丹品种的形态学和农艺学性状为基本数据,采用花型分组,组内按平方根比例策略确定取样量,并使用类平均聚类法取样,获得了中原牡丹品种初级核心种质,其取样比例占总体样本的30%.经检测,初级核心种质与总体种质的31个性状中仅花期1个性状的多样性指数达到了显著差异水平,初级核心种质多样性指数对总体种质的代表性达99.20%,表型保留比例达到了100%.表明,这个包含120个样本的初级核心种质能在表型性状上很好地代表总体种质的遗传多样性.     

不同氮利用效率水稻基因型的根系形态与生理指标的研究

选用氮素利用高效型和低效型具有代表性的12个粳稻品种, 研究了225 kg hm-2施氮条件下根系形态和生理指标的差异及其与氮素利用效率的相互关系。结果表明, 有效分蘖临界叶龄期、拔节期、抽穗期和成熟期, 氮高效型水稻的根干重、根系体积、总吸收表面积、活跃吸收表面积和活跃吸收表面积比均显著或极显著大于氮低效型水稻。有效分蘖临界叶龄期和拔节期, 氮高效类型水稻的根冠比显著大于氮低效型, 而抽穗和成熟期则表现相反趋势。成熟期前, 氮高效型水稻的根系α-NA氧化量极显著大于氮低效型, 而成熟期, 氮高效型中杂交水稻的根系α-NA氧化量略低于个别氮低效型水稻品种。相关性分析表明, 有效分蘖临界叶龄期、拔节期、抽穗期和成熟期, 水稻的根干重、根系体积、根系的α-NA氧化量、总吸收表面积、活跃吸收表面积和活跃吸收表面积比与氮素利用效率呈显著或极显著正相关。有效分蘖临界叶龄期和拔节期, 植株的根冠比与氮素利用效率呈显著正相关, 而抽穗和成熟期则呈极显著负相关。氮高效型水稻在其一生中具有良好的根系形态和保持较强的根系活力, 为植株大量吸收和高效利用氮素奠定了良好基础。同时, 在水稻的生长过程中, 地下部与地上部的合理比例及协调生长也是促进植株高效吸收利用氮素的重要因素。     

贵州旱稻种质资源的SSR遗传多样性分析

本研究利用24对水稻微卫星（SSR）标记对源自贵州部分县乡种植以及早期基因库收集的112份地方旱稻材料的遗传多样性进行分析,结果共检出187个等位基因,每个位点的等位基因变幅为4～13个,平均Nei＇s基因多样性指数为0.6431,平均香农指数为1.3669。籼粳亚种均具有较高的遗传多样性,前者稍高于后者,但差异不明显。黔西南州拥有最多的种质,存在丰富的遗传变异,是贵州旱稻种质资源遗传多样性分布中心。分子方差分析表明,旱稻种质总变异的88%是由各地区内的群体间差异造成,地区间和各个群体内的遗传变异较小,均为6%。不同地区旱稻种质的遗传分化程度不一,变幅为2%～18%。聚类分析将供试旱稻材料较为明显地分为籼粳两个类群,而地理分组不明显。     

Analysis of population structure and genetic diversity reveals gene flow and geographic patterns in cultivated rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">O. sativa</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">O. glaberrima</Emphasis>) in West Africa

To fully exploit the diversity in African rice germplasm and to broaden the gene pool reliable information on the population genetic diversity and phenotypic characteristics is a prerequisite. In this paper, the population structure and genetic diversity of 42 cultivated African rice (Oryza spp.) accessions originating from West Africa (Benin, Mali and Nigeria, Liberia etc.) were investigated using 20 simple sequence repeats (SSR) and 77 amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP). Additionally, field trials were set up to gain insight into phenotypic characteristics that differentiate the genetic populations among rice accessions. The analysis revealed considerably high polymorphisms for SSR markers (PIC mean?=?0.78) in the germplasm studied. A significant association was found between AFLP markers and geographic origin of rice accessions (R?=?0.72). Germplasm structure showed that Oryza sativa accessions were not totally isolated from Oryza glaberrima accessions. The results allowed identification of five O. glaberrima accessions which grouped together with O. sativa accessions, sharing common alleles of 18 loci out of the 20 SSR markers analyzed. Population structure analysis revealed existence of a gene flow between O. sativa and O. glaberrima rice accessions which can be used to combine several interesting traits in breeding programs. Further studies are needed to clarify the contributions of this gene flow to valuable traits such as abiotic and biotic stresses including disease resistance.     

Allozyme diversity of Russian wildrye accessions

Analysis of genetic diversity among plant accessions plays an important role in developing strategies for plant breeding and the conservation of genetic resources. Therefore, we sought to estimate the extent of genetic diversity present among and within 29 Russian wildrye accessions, which were collected from widespread geographic sites. We assessed the genetic diversity of eight enzymes found in 29 Russian wildrye accessions using vertical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The genetic diversity of each accession was estimated from standard genetic parameters that included (1) the number of polymorphic loci; (2) the average number of alleles per locus; (3) the observed and expected heterozygosity. The eight enzymes were encoded by 13 putative loci and 46 alleles. Allozyme analyses revealed a large number of polymorphic loci among the 29 accessions and some of the accessions carry rare alleles and trace their origin to sites in Xinjiang, China, where Russian wildrye is indigenous. The accessions with rare alleles require additional evaluation to determine whether they possess unique phenotypic traits which would be useful in applied plant breeding.     

Identification of a diverse mini‐core panel of Indian rice germplasm based on genotyping using microsatellite markers

Identification of a small core germplasm set representing the available genetic diversity is essential for its proper evaluation and subsequent utilization in rice improvement programmes. For constituting a small diverse mini‐core panel of Indian rice germplasm, a representative set of 6912 accessions drawn based on their geographic origin from the whole rice germplasm collection available in the National Gene Bank was genotyped using 36 microsatellite markers. Automated fragment analysis of amplicons yielded a total of 435 alleles, with an average 12.4 and range of 3–29 alleles per locus. Polymorphism information content (PIC) ranged from 0.08 (RGNMS190) to 0.86 (RM552) with an average of 0.528. Based on genotyping data, a mini‐core consisting of 98 genotypes was identified. Ninety‐four per cent of the alleles present in the core set were present in the mini‐core. The identified small but diverse panel will be useful for further intensive trait‐specific evaluation and utilization in allele mining.     

普通菜豆根系相关性状的关联分析

幼苗期根系发育对作物的生长发育具有重要作用。利用生长袋纸培系统对324份普通菜豆种质的主根长、根干重、根体积、根表面积等9个根系相关性状进行表型鉴定,并结合覆盖全基因组、有多态性的116对SSR标记,利用MLM（Q+K）模型进行表型和标记的关联分析。表型分析表明,324份材料的9个根系相关性状表型变异丰富,平均变异系数的变动范围是10.09%~37.03%;基因型分析表明,116个多态性SSR标记共检测到919个等位变异位点,每个标记的平均基因多样性指数为0.59,多态性信息含量（PIC）平均值为0.54,显示这些标记具有较高的基因多样性;群体结构分析表明,供试材料分为两个亚群,与普通菜豆起源于两个基因库对应;关联分析结果显示,以P<0.01作为显著条件,共检测到48个显著标记位点,其中有10个位点同时与2个以上性状相关联,有5个位点与前人研究结果一致。研究结果为进一步理解普通菜豆根系的遗传机理提供了理论参考,也为分子标记辅助选择改良普通菜豆根系奠定了基础。     

陆地棉SSR标记遗传多样性及其与农艺性状的关联分析

分析陆地棉栽培种遗传多样性,通过关联分析寻找与棉花农艺性状相关联的分子标记,为分子标记辅助选择育种和提高棉花育种效率奠定基础。本文采用74个Simple sequence repeat(SSR)标记对172份陆地棉栽培种的基因组变异进行扫描,使用NTSYS-pc 2.20进行聚类,分析该群体遗传多样性;利用Structure 2.3.4软件分析群体结构,在此基础上结合田间表型数据,采用Tassel 2.1的一般线性模型(General linear model,GLM)进行关联分析,定位与农艺性状相关的QTLs。74个标记共检测到148个多态性位点,涉及246个等位变异,变异范围2~7个,平均等位变异数为3.32;引物的多态性信息含量(PIC)为0.0281~0.3733,平均值为0.2370;遗传相似系数变异在0.2816~1,平均值为0.5369,平均遗传相似系数为0.5369,表明我国陆地棉遗传基础狭窄,尽管国外及西北内陆棉区部分材料具有较丰富的遗传变异。聚类分析将该群体划分为12个亚群,不同棉区的材料交叉分布,且聚类结果基本与系谱吻合。群体结构分析却将172份供试材料划分为3个亚群;通过关联分析,发现30个位点与铃重、衣分、黄萎病抗性显著相关(P0.05),各位点对表型变异贡献率为2.24%~5.27%。     

Molecular diversity and genome-wide linkage disequilibrium patterns in a worldwide collection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> and its wild relatives

Genetic diversity analysis within a species is vital for understanding evolutionary processes at the population and genomic levels. We report a detailed study of molecular diversity, polymorphism and linkage disequilibrium in three groups of rice (Oryza) germplasm accessions based on 176 SSR markers. The first group included 65 rice (O. sativa L.) accessions introduced from seven countries, including five regions of China. The second group included 58 US rice varieties released in the past 25 years. The third group consisted of 54 accessions of rice wild relatives represented by ten different species. The number of alleles per SSR marker ranged from 4 to 32 with a mean of 16 alleles and the polymorphism information content values ranged from 0.43 to 0.91 with a mean of 0.70. The variation in SSR alleles was a significant contribution to the genetic discrimination of the 177 accessions within the three Oryza groups. Analysis of molecular variance identified deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Principal coordinates analysis clearly separated the accessions into their respective three groups. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic cluster reflects the ordination of each accession. Linkage disequilibrium (D′) averaged 0.75 in wild Oryza spp., and about 0.5 in both US and international O. sativa accessions. Our results showed that LD among adjacent loci in both O. sativa and Oryza spp. accessions is strong enough to be detecting marker-trait association via genome-wide scans.     

基于表型性状构建中国花生地方品种骨干种质

中国花生地方品种遗传多样性丰富,是花生新品种选育的重要亲本来源。本研究以种质库保存的2741份地方种质为材料,基于种植区划和植物学类型分组,平方根法确定取样量,组内按13个表型数据进行UPGMA聚类分析,类内随机取样,构建骨干种质。利用t检验、F测验、卡方测验、极差、表型保留比例、表型相关性等对骨干种质代表性进行检验和评价;并利用主成分分析和直方图对骨干种质进行确认。结果表明,构建了包含259份种质的中国花生地方品种骨干种质,占全部种质的9.4%,包括多粒型14份、珍珠豆型85份、龙生型42份、普通型103份、中间型15份。在P 0.05概率条件下,骨干种质13个性状的均值、方差、变异系数、香农指数与全部种质无显著差异,且保留了全部种质的分布范围、表型保留比例和表型相关性;二者的植物学类型组成和生态分布是一致的,具有相似的遗传结构和分布频率。建立的骨干种质很好地代表了全部种质的遗传变异和群体结构,可为花生种质创新和优异等位基因发掘奠定良好的基础。     

Genetic diversity and association mapping of forage quality in diverse bermudagrass accessions

Bermudagrass is a warm season grass widely cultivated for turf and fodder. Nonetheless, the grass has poor forage quality because animals that consume it fail to assimilate its organic matter efficiently. Thus, identification of the marker-trait association between simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and forage-quality-related traits in diverse bermudagrass accessions would enable efficient selection of high forage quality bermudagrass cultivars. Association mapping of 8 forage-related-quality traits with 1474 markers was conducted in 60 diverse bermudagrass accessions from five geographical regions in China. Significant variations in eight phenotypic and physiological traits were observed among the 60 accessions. A total of 1474 alleles were amplified by 104 SSR primers. The average gene diversity and polymorphic information content for the study sample were 0.2097 and 0.1748 respectively. The clustering analysis suggested that geographic origin influenced genetic distances between accessions. A total of 76 markers significantly associated with traits at P < 0.01; 73 with a single trait and 3 with two traits each. Nevertheless, only 41 significant marker-trait associations (MTAs) were observed after Bonferroni test was separately conducted for each trait. Forty-one microsatellites had significant associations with 8 forage-quality-related traits. These markers provide a feasible means of genetically improving forage quality in bermudagrass after further authentication.