Molecular genetic diversity of the pea (Pisum sativum L.) from the Vavilov Research Institute collection detected by the AFLP analysis

In this work, a set of pea accessions obtained from the Vavilov Research Institute (VIR) collection comprising 83 P. sativum samples, including representatives of three subspecies, was studied using the AFLP method. Local cultivars for different uses with maximum ecological and geographical diversity (including those from the centers of origin of the species) were predominantly chosen for the study; a number of their morphological and biological characteristics were evaluated. We obtained 382 polymorphic AFLP fragments; each sample was characterized by a unique set of fragments. The genetic diversity of the studied material was evaluated, and a wide range of genetic differences in the investigated samples (0.07-0.27) was demonstrated. The affiliation of the samples to the certain subspecies was not confirmed by the obtained data; the ecogeographical differentiation of the samples was not reflected by the data. Factor analysis allowed us to identify the sample groups of European and Asian origin and the intermediate nature of most of the samples from the studied set of pea accessions.