# A 25K Wheat SNP Array Revealed the Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Durum Wheat (Triticum turgidum subsp. durum) Landraces and Cultivars

## TL;DR

A genomic study of Ethiopian durum wheat using a 25K SNP array reveals moderate diversity and selection signatures for traits like yield and stress tolerance.

## Contribution

The study identifies 26 loci under selection and provides insights into population structure and genetic diversity in Ethiopian durum wheat.

## Key findings

- Moderate genetic diversity was observed with a mean PIC of 0.17 and gene diversity of 0.20.
- 26 loci under selection were linked to grain yield, stress tolerance, and disease resistance.
- Landraces formed distinct clusters with unique alleles, suggesting informal seed exchange drives gene flow.

## Abstract

Durum wheat, the world’s second most cultivated wheat species, is a staple crop, critical for global food security, including in Ethiopia where it serves as a center of diversity. However, climate change and genetic erosion threaten its genetic resources, necessitating genomic studies to support conservation and breeding efforts. This study characterized genome-wide diversity, population structure (STRUCTURE, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), neighbor-joining trees, analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA)), and selection signatures (FST, Hardy–Weinberg deviations) in Ethiopian durum wheat by analyzing 376 genotypes (148 accessions) using an Illumina Infinium 25K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. A set of 7842 high-quality SNPs enabled the assessments, comparing landraces with cultivars and breeding populations. Results revealed moderate genetic diversity (mean polymorphism information content (PIC) = 0.17; gene diversity = 0.20) and identified 26 loci under selection, associated with key traits like grain yield, stress tolerance, and disease resistance. AMOVA revealed 80.1% variation among accessions, with no significant differentiation by altitude, region, or spike density. Landraces formed distinct clusters, harboring unique alleles, while admixture suggested gene flow via informal seed exchange. The findings highlight Ethiopia’s rich durum wheat diversity, emphasizing landraces as reservoirs of adaptive alleles for breeding. This study provides genomic insights to guide conservation and the development of climate-resilient cultivars, supporting sustainable wheat production globally.