Genetic diversity in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm to establish a breeding program in the mountainous region of Jammu and Kashmir

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is native to Middle America and Andean mountains of South America. Due to its nutritious value, it is one of the most important legume crop of the world. Evaluation of genetic diversity of a crop is extremely important for the establishment of a breeding program and selection of varieties for cultivation. We evaluated the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of 40 P. vulgaris ecotypes from CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture) germplasm using seed protein profiles produced by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), to screen the germplasm to be used in a breeding program. A total of 21 bands scored 14 were found polymorphic. A distance matrix was generated from the similarity matrix based on polymorphic bands. The UPGMA tree was established through cluster analysis performed on the distance matrix. Six major clusters were formed on the basis of SDS_PAGE analysis with one ecotype (E13-G16832) being the most diverse. This analysis provided the basis for selection of suitable ecotypes to be used in the establishment of a breeding program.