Genetic diversity within and among landraces of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) under farmer management in West Africa

The influence of farmer management on pearl millet landrace diversity was d etermined by evaluating variation in individual farmers' populations from t wo villages in north-eastern Nigeria. The variability within and between la ndrace samples was estimated using variation at 163 amplified fragment leng th polymorphism marker (AFLP) loci. The data indicated that individual farm ers' husbandry practices result in the isolation of their own group of ideo types each in their own unique genetic backgrounds, thereby rendering landr ace names inappropriate as indicators of a generic genetic identity. The im plications of these findings for sampling strategies for genebanks and regi onal genetic evaluations are discussed.