Genetic diversity in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) as revealed by SDS-PAGE analysis

The Molecular Marker is a useful tool for studying genetic diversity among crop species and resolving cultivar identities. Studying genetic diversity is of enormous use in identifying different cultivars suitable for different ecologies. In this present study forty one genotypes of wheat (T. aestivum L) representing local landraces, candidate lines and commercial cultivars were evaluated for total seed protein using Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacryl amide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis. Based on the electrophoretic pattern of the molecular weight range >24kD, total 13 bands were scored. Although variation in storage protein banding pattern was revealed by SDS-PAGE, however, its magnitude was low. A low level of genetic diversity may be attributed to narrow genetic base of a wheat crop. Based on pair-wise comparison, a dendrogram was constructed using unweighted pair group average method (UPGMA). Based on analysis performed on a similarity matrix using UPGMA, cluster analysis placed wheat genotypes into 7 different groups. It is suggested that landrace genotypes that differ in protein profiles can be utilized to broaden the genetic base of this important food crop.