Abstract

Genetic diversity in oil palm has been usually determined using agro-morphological markers (traits) before the advent of DNA-based markers including microsatellite markers, which have the advantage of being environmentally independent. The current study aimed to compare genetic diversity and relationships among 10 Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) dura × tenera oil palm progenies using simple sequence repeats (SSR) and agronomic markers. 114 individual palms representing the NIFOR progenies were screened for polymorphism at five agronomic traits and 16 SSR loci. Coefficients of variation and genetic diversity parameters were calculated to compare the trait-based variation with genetic (SSR) diversity. Hierarchical clustering and principal coordinate analyses (PCA) were performed with agronomic and molecular datasets generated from the progenies. Agronomic traits showed wide range of variation from 5.6% for oil-to-mesocarp ratio to 40.5% for bunch number. The SSR markers deployed showed 100% polymorphism and high genetic diversity (He = 0.661, Ho = 0.580) among the progenies. While SSR data discriminated the progenies with respect to pedigree or shared ancestry of the parents, the clustering pattern based on agronomic data predominantly reflected the differences in agronomic traits. Results of this study suggest that agronomic trait data are insufficient in selecting parents for crossing and that genotypic data are more informative.

Key words: Agronomic traits, Elaeis guineensis, genetic diversity, Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers.