Multiple origins and a narrow genepool characterise the African tea germplasm: concordant patterns revealed by nuclear and plastid DNA markers.

ABSTRACT: Despite the highly economic value of tea in Africa, its genetic and geographic origins remain largely unexplored. Here we address this by collecting 439 samples across 11 countries in Africa and Asia to investigate the origin and genepool composition of African tea based on 23 nuclear microsatellites loci (nSSRs) and three cpDNA intergenic spacer regions. Our results indicated that the African tea represents a potpourri originating from multiple introductions over time. The nSSR analysis revealed that the majority (79%) of tea accessions collected in Africa belong to Indian Assam tea which have likely originated from India and/or Sri Lanka. The patterns of nSSR variation also showed that Chinese Assam tea is genetically distinct from Indian Assam tea, and has rarely been used in African te

SUBMITTER: Wambulwa MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5481375 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature