Patterns of morphological and allozyme variation in sorghum landraces of northwestern Morocco

Patterns of variation in inflorescence and spikelet morphology and in allozyme markers were studied within and among six fields of sorghum sampled from different areas in Northwestern Morocco. Substantial variation for both types of markers is found within fields. Significant differentiation among fields occurs for both types of traits, with 63% of morphological variation and 20% of allozyme variation expressed among fields. Discrepancies between allozyme studies based on germplasm accessions conserved ex situ and this and other studies involving in situ sampling underline the need to use appropriate sampling schemes for assessing the patterns of genetic variation of local landraces.