Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Faba Bean (Vicia faba) from Turkey

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is an important food and feed legume because of the nutritional value of its seed protein and starch content, good biomass, and high efficiency nitrogen fixation. This study analyzed the molecular genetic diversity and population structure of 101 Turkish faba bean accessions using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. A total of 32 SSR markers yielded 281 loci of which 277 (98.6%) were polymorphic. Mean dissimilarity between genotypes was 0.355, a relatively high value which was expected given faba bean's large genome and limited breeding history. According to the results, faba bean individuals grouped into three main clusters based on both distance matrix (neighbor-joining algorithm) and model-based (population structure) clustering analyses. Clustering was not correlated with seed size or origin within Turkey. Six cultivars were included in the analysis and showed high genetic diversity compared with the landraces, as expected, given the fact that at least some of the cultivars were bred by hybridization. A total of 47 individuals were selected for the core collection to represent the diversity of Turkish faba bean germplasm. This core set encompasses material adapted to all growing regions and should be a priority for morphological characterization.