SRAP and IRAP revealed molecular characterization and genetic relationships among cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) irradiated by gamma-ray

Background Cowpea is a high-protein legume that can be grown in many environments. Gamma radiation can modify plant metabolism and growth. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different gamma-ray doses on cowpea yield and growth. The results showed that gamma radiation had a significant effect on cowpea yield and growth, with the highest yields and growth rates observed at lower doses. Higher doses had a negative effect on cowpea yield and growth. The study suggests that gamma radiation can be used to improve cowpea yield and growth, but that the optimal dose must be determined for each specific cultivar and environment.Results Results specified that gamma ray significantly affected growth characters and forage yield. Gamma-ray dose of 50 Gy in M1 and M2 generations gave the highest values for all studied characteristics compared to the control and all other irradiation doses, except the crude fiber, followed by 75 and 100 Gy doses for all characters, except number of tillers plant-1 and crude fiber. Seven combinations of SRAP produced 227 loci with an average polymorphism percentage of 85%. The allele frequency of target loci ranged between 0.29 and 0.60, and the PIC was 0.41-0.50 in range, while the GTS% of SRAP combinations ranged from 36 to 63%. The genetic similarities ranged between - 4 and 30%. Ten primers produced 450 loci with a polymorphism percentage of 88%. The allele frequency of target loci ranged between 0.28 and 0.46. The PIC was 0.40-0.50 in range, and the GTS% of IRAP primers ranged from 29 to 71%. The genetic similarities ranged from 8 to 37%.Conclusions SRAP and IRAP analysis revealed more than two clusters of treated plants. In silico analysis showed that some SRAP primers could align with genes in cowpea and related genomes. The SRAP-F12R9 primer is unique to Phaseolus vulgaris, while the SRAP-F13R15 and SRAP-F13em1 primers align with genes on different chromosomes in cowpea cultivar Xiabao 2.