Genetic diversity in grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.)

Genetic diversity was investigated in 348 accessions and subaccessions of grasspea (Lathyrus sativus L.) from 10 geographical regions. Polymorphism for 20 isozymes of 13 enzyme systems was studied to estimate the genetic diversity. The Near East and North Africa regions included the most variability for these isozyme systems, suggesting that the center of diversity (center of origin) for grasspea is in this general area. The lowest variability was found in accessions and subaccessions from South America, followed by those from Sudan-Ethiopia. Diversity was measured for individual loci over regions and EST-1 and SKDH had the highest genetic diversity. The closest genetic diversity was observed for LAP-2, followed by AAT-1 and PGM. The closest genetic distance existed between populations from the Near East and North Africa. Populations from South Asia and Sudan-Ethiopia, though geographically widely separated, exhibited a closer genetic distance from each other than from other regions.