Structure and Genetic Diversity of Nine Important Landraces of Capsicum Species Cultivated in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Abstract

Mexico has a wealth of Capsicum species, which has led to the development of a large number of chili pepper landraces. A great wealth of Capsicum germplasm can be found in southern Mexico in the Yucatan Peninsula, an important area of diversification of Capsicum annuum. Specifically, in the western Yucatan Peninsula, three of the five domesticated species of Capsicum (C. annuum, C. chinense and C. frutescens) have been reported. However, information on their genetic diversity, conservation status and potential use is lacking. To generate useful information toward the sustainable use, management and conservation of these species, we evaluated the structure, diversity and genetic relationships of nine accessions of Capsicum spp., of major importance cultivated in the western Yucatan Peninsula using 42 ISSR loci. The results indicated that these accessions consisted of three genetic groups that were defined by the respective species of each accession. The level of genetic diversity was moderate and distributed mainly among accessions. The ISSR markers detected a high level of polymorphism and allowed the genetic differentiation of the C. annuum complex. The results indicated that the accessions collected in the western Yucatan Peninsula constitute a valuable genetic resource that can be used in genetic improvement and conservation programs.

Monograph of wild and cultivated chili peppers (Capsicum L., Solanaceae)

“… Capsicum chinense has been introduced into United States of America ( Bosland and Votava 2000 ), Mexico through Cuba ( González Estrada et al 2010 ; Ruiz-Lau et al 2011 ; López Castilla et al 2019 ) and Central and South America where is found cultivated or escaped from cultivation; it has also been introduced outside the Americas (Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia: China, Japan, Taiwan, India and others) mainly by Portuguese explorers ( Eshbaugh 1983 ; Andrews 1993 ; Meghvansi et al 2010 ).…”

Exploring the genetic makeup and population structure among Capsicum accessions for crop improvement and breeding curriculum insights

“…The advantages with this marker system comprise that they are present in both nuclear and organelle genomes, and their segregation follows the Mendelian rule as dominant markers and are highly polymorphic [28,29]. Also, ISSR markers have proven their supremacy in variety of applications such as cultivar identification, genetic diversity, gene tagging, genome mapping, molecular ecology, phylogenetic studies, plant breeding, and evolutionary analysis [30][31][32][33][34].…”

Genetic diversity and structure analysis ofVigna unguiculataL. (Walp.) landraces from southeastern Mexico using ISSR markers

“…(2010) with cowpea landraces, no differences were observed between individuals of the same landrace with molecular markers. The selection pressure exerted by Mayan farmers over the years likely led to a reduction in genetic diversity strengthening specific agro-ecological adaptations to the region (Gómez et al ., 2004; Ghalmi et al ., 2010; López et al ., 2019). Also, the small number of individuals studied may not be representative of the genetic diversity present in the accessions, masking the results (López et al ., 2019).…”