Genetic Diversity and Phylogenetic Behavior of Some Minor Legumes

Twenty-four accessions of twelve species minor legumes collected from the germplasm unit of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Ibadan, Nigeria were evaluated for their genetic diversities and phylogenetic relatedness. The accessions were planted into plots of 5 ridges of 5 meters long, spaced 1 meter apart and replicated three times at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti Teaching and Research Farm. The diversity and the relative phylogeny of the accessions were assessed through their floral morphological differences and the mean values between two accessions were evaluated by descriptive statistics. Principal component analysis was employed to identify the most discriminatory floral morphological traits and the similarities among the 24 accessions were assessed by cluster analysis (CA). Descriptive statistics through Duncan multiple range test adopted revealed genetic diversity and phylogenetic relatedness among the accessions. The first two principal component axes explained 64.66% of the total floral morphological variation. Standard petal length, calyx lobe length and stipule length contributed most of the variations in the legume accession. CA grouped the 24 accessions into six clusters. The study revealed intra-specific similarities and inter-specific floral morphological differences among the studied accessions.