Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis of tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) trotter]

Tef, [Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trotter, is a major cereal crop in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic relationships among tef accessions by the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique. Forty-seven accessions of tef and one accession each of E. pilosa and E. curvula were analyzed. A total of 316 polymorphic DNA fragments across the three Eragrostis species were identified. The level of polymorphism within tef accessions was low (18%). However, with four or more primer pairs and a cluster analyses procedure, all the accessions included in the study were differentiated from each other. The three species studied fell in to three distinct clusters. Within tef, two major groups can be differentiated at 89% similarity. Because AFLP is reliable and enables assessment of potentially unlimited numbers of genetic loci, it permits greater insights into the genetic diversity of tef than had been possible with other available markers. Despite the low polymorphism Level in tef, the availability of a large number of primer combinations and the high speed of the assay make AFLP an efficient marker technology for genetic diversity study of tef.