Understanding the genetic diversity among accessions and germplasm is an important requirement for crop development as it allows for the selection of diverse parental combinations for enhancing genetic gain in varietal selection, advancement and release. The study aimed to characterize 183 provitamin A cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) accessions and five Sierra Leonean varieties using morphological traits, total carotenoid content and SNP markers to develop a collection for conservation and further use in the cassava breeding program. Both morphological parameters and 5634 SNP markers were used to assess the diversity among the provitamin-A cassava accessions and varieties. Significant differences were observed among the accessions for most of the traits measured. The first five PCs together accounted for 70.44% of the total phenotypic variation based on yield and yield components among the 183 provitamin-A cassava accessions and five Sierra Leonean varieties. The present study showed that provitamin-A cassava accessions in Sierra Leone have moderate to high diversity based on morphological and molecular assessment studies. The similarity index among the 187 and 185 cassava accessions grouped them into 6 and 9 distinct clusters based on morphological and molecular analyses, respectively. A significant positive, but low correlation (r = 0.104; p < 0.034), was observed between the two dendrograms. The results obtained will serve as a guide and basis of germplasm management and improvement for total carotenoid content, yield and African cassava mosaic disease resistance in Sierra Leone.

了解种质和种质之间的遗传多样性是作物发展的重要要求，因为它允许选择不同的亲本组合，以增强品种选择，生长和释放的遗传增益。该研究旨在鉴定183种原维生素A木薯（Manihot esculentaCrantz）品种和五个塞拉利昂品种，利用形态性状，总类胡萝卜素含量和SNP标记开发出一个保存品，并在木薯育种计划中进一步使用。形态学参数和5634 SNP标记都用于评估原维生素A木薯种质和品种之间的多样性。对于大多数测得的性状，在种质之间观察到显着差异。根据183种木薯A品种和5种塞拉利昂品种的产量和产量构成，前五种PC占表型总变异的70.44％。本研究表明，根据形态学和分子评估研究，塞拉利昂原维生素A-木薯种质具有中等至高度的多样性。根据形态和分子分析，分别将187个和185个木薯种的相似性指数分为6个和9个不同的簇。显着的正相关，但相关性较低（r  = 0.104；p  <0.034），在两个树状图之间观察到。获得的结果将为塞拉利昂种质管理和改善总类胡萝卜素含量，产量和非洲木薯花叶病抗性提供指导和基础。