DIVA-Geographic Information System approaches for assessment of diversity and distribution pattern of Abelmoschus species from Maharashtra, India
Abstract
Existence of diversity in the native flora assumes importance, in terms of crop improvement, which has led to germplasm exploration and collection missions of the same. A. manihot and A. tetraphyllus, wild relatives of Abelmoschus species possess resistance genes for Yellow Vein Mosaic Virus (YVMV) and powdery mildew; A. moschatus for jassids; A. tuberculatus for fruit borer and A. caillei for drought tolerance with YVMV resistance. Between 2003 and 2009, germplasm exploration and collection missions for Abelmoschus sp., were carried out in the state of Maharashtra, India. A total of 100 accessions consisting of Abelmoschus caillei (1), A. ficulneus (41), A. manihot (25), A. tetraphyllus (9) and A. tuberculatus (24) were collected and conserved. Occurrences of wild Abelmoschus species in different districts along with indigenous collection numbers (IC) were recorded. DIVA-Geographical Information System (GIS) based on the data from spatial objects and their attributes for species richness and diversity index were used for germplasm of wild Abelmoschus species. DIVA-GIS grid maps, generated for species richness and Shannon Diversity Index for Abelmoschus species identified central Maharashtra for collection of diversity on wild okra
Keywords
Germplasm, Geographic Information System, diversity, Wild okra, Abelmoschus spp
