Genetic diversity of pea (Pisum sativum L.) genotypes differing in leaf type using SNP markers

Abstract

A collection of 46 pea (Pisum sativum L.) accessions, mostly from Europe, were analysed for genetic diversity using the GenoPea 13.2 K SNP Array chip. Of these accessions were 24 nomal-leaved and 22 semi-leafless. Principal components analysis (PCA) separated the peas into two groups characterized by the two different leaf types, although some genotypes were exceptions and appeared in the opposite group. Cluster analysis confirmed the two groups. A dendrogram showed larger genetic distances between genotypes in the normal-leafed group compared to semi-leafless genotypes. Both PCA and cluster analysis show that the two leave types are genetically divergent. So normal-leaved peas are an interesting genetic resource, even if the breeding goal is to develop semi-leafless varieties.