Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Frafra Potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius) Accessions in Ghana

Abstract

Frafra potato [Solenostemon rotundifolius (Poir. J. K. Morton] is a minor tuber crop that has the potential to address food and nutrition security issues in the wake of climate change. The crop contains higher levels of iron compared to other tuber crops like cassava, yam and sweet potato. In addition, it is adapted to marginal soils and drought conditions. Unfortunately, it is becoming extinct as the focus has been on a few declining but widely cultivated crop species. In this study, fifteen microsatellites (SSR) primers were used to characterize 57 accessions collected from the Northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions of Ghana. These accessions were subsequently characterized using 15 qualitative and 15 quantitative morphological descriptors. Both morphological and molecular analyses grouped the accessions into two clusters. Accessions UE004, UE008 and QA99067 were found to be very promising and can be multiplied for farmers or used as parents in a hybridization programme for improvement of the crop.