Identification of admixtures in Melia dubia germplasm as revealed by Bayesian analysis

Melia dubia, an important agroforestry tree species, although it has its diversity hotspot in north-eastern states of India, it has been found to be dispersed in various other states as well. Therefore, to detect gene flow between populations, 185 genotypes from different geographical origins were sampled to identify and study the occurrence of admixtures using 60 Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) generating definite and reproducible bands. Bayesian structure analysis grouped genotypes into 6 (best ∆K = 6) genetic groups. Through membership likelihoods (Q >/< 0.60), admixture analysis revealed 175 genotypes to be highly pure, whereas the remaining 10 were mixed indicating genetic mixing. The present study highlights the efficiency of SSRs for the molecular portrayal of M. dubia and assessing its genetic diversity for genetic improvement through effective breeding schemes.