Evaluation of amplified fragment length polymorphism markers in tef, Eragrostis tef(Zucc.) Trotter, and related species

Tef is an important cereal crop in Ethiopia. This study was conducted to investigate (1) genetic diversity within and among three Eragrostis species (E. tef, E. pilosa and E. curvula), and (2) the relationship between E. tef, E. pilosa and E. curvula. A total of 630 AFLP markers were obtained, out of which 58% (368) were polymorphic, using 10 primer combinations. The three species were separated distinctly using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). However, diversity revealed at the morphological trait level was not commensurate with that observed for AFLP. This was due to the small number of morphological traits available and their interaction with the environment. Within tef, 'Rubicunda' and DZ-01-1093 were found to be distantly related to the rest of the tef accessions. The diversity within species was such that E. pilosa was the most diverse followed by E. curvula and E. tef. Moreover, E, pilosa was more closely related to E. tef than E. curvula. Therefore, further study is needed of E. pilosa accessions and of 'Rubicunda' and DZ-01-1093 in a crossing programme to generate a population for selection and/or genetic mapping. A total of 20 cultivars or accessions had one or more unique fragments using one or more AFLP primers, indicating the potential of the technology in fingerprinting tef in a breeding or seed multiplication programme.