Data from: Conservation priorities for endangered coastal North African Pennisetum glaucum L. landrace populations as inferred from phylogenetic considerations and population structure analysis

The increasing anthropologic pressure and the modernization of agriculture
have led to a forsaking of pearl millet traditional cultivars inducing a
progressive loss of the genetic variability encompassed in this
locally-adapted germplasm. Imperatively, national efforts based on robust
data gleaned from genetic surveys have to be undertaken in order to set up
suitable conservation priorities. Inthis study, in addition to the
assessment of the genetic diversity and population structure among and
within a set of seven pearl millet landrace populations from coastal North
Africa, demographic and phylogenetic data, conservation priority scores
were calculated according to Vane-Wright et al. (1991). To date, genetic
diversity of pearl millet in North Africa is still poorly documented. The
present survey reports for the first time the use of highly informative
nSSR markers (PIC =0.74) on P. glaucum landraces representative of the
Mediterranean coastline of North Africa. A high level of genetic diversity
was obtained within the investigated landraces (He=0.80) at the population
level. FST, AFC-3D and Bayesian clustering underlined significant
differentiation and an apparent genetic structure according to
geographical origin. Phylogenetic considerations integrated with
demographic and genetic information enabled conclusive inferences of
highly prioritized populations for conservation. Populations Haouaria,
Hammem Laghzez, Mahdia and Medenine representatives of the main pearl
millet growing areas in Tunisia and cultivated in the North African
littoral should be strongly recommended for an ex-situ conservation
program. Dynamic on-farm conservation method is also required as it allows
to the local landraces to evolve in different environments while
maintaining their adaptation potentials.