MOLECULAR DIVERSITY PATTERNS OF DIFFERENT SEED COAT COLOURED SOYBEANS (Glycine max) DURING SEED LONGEVITY USING SIMPLE SEQUENCE REPEATS MARKERS

Abstract

Molecular diversity analysis was carried out at the University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK to elucidate the genetic basis of seed storability and testacolour variation in soybean. Twenty genotypes, five distinct seed coat colour (Black, Yellow, Brown, Variegated and Green) were evaluated using twelve Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. 3 SSR markers showed highly polymorphism and differentiated genotypes based on storability i.e. Satt281, Satt513, and Satt371 exhibited high polymorphism. The three informative loci collectively amplified fourteen alleles, with two to three alleles per locus and an average of 2.6 alleles, indicating moderate yet biologically meaningful genetic variability. Two markers were bi-allelic, whereas one marker was tri-allelic. Alleles Satt281220, Satt513200, and Satt371180 were predominantly observed in good storers, while Satt281200, Satt513140, and Satt371120 were characteristic of poor storers. Intermediate genotypes were mainly associated with Satt281210, Satt513150, and Satt371160. The identified SSR loci revealed significant genetic differentiation related to seed longevity and testacolour. These SSR loci demonstrate significant potential as reliable molecular markers for marker-assisted selection, thereby facilitating the development of soybean cultivars with enhanced storage potential, improved seed qualityand greater commercial value.