Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis of tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) trotter]

Tef, [Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trotter, is a major cereal crop in Ethiopia. Th e objective of this study was to investigate the genetic relationships amon g tef accessions by the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) techn ique. Forty-seven accessions of tef and one accession each of E. pilosa and E. curvula were analyzed. A total of 316 polymorphic DNA fragments across the three Eragrostis species were identified. The level of polymorphism wit hin tef accessions was low (18%). However, with four or more primer pairs a nd a cluster analyses procedure, all the accessions included in the study w ere differentiated from each other. The three species studied fell in to th ree distinct clusters. Within tef, two major groups can be differentiated a t 89% similarity. Because AFLP is reliable and enables assessment of potent ially unlimited numbers of genetic loci, it permits greater insights into t he genetic diversity of tef than had been possible with other available mar kers. Despite the low polymorphism Level in tef, the availability of a larg e number of primer combinations and the high speed of the assay make AFLP a n efficient marker technology for genetic diversity study of tef.