Patterns of Genetic Structure and Linkage Disequilibrium in a Large Collection of Pea Germplasm

Pea (Pisum sativum, L.) is a major pulse crop used both for animal and human alimentation. Owing to its association with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, it is also a valuable component for low-input cropping systems. To evaluate the genetic diversity and the scale of linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay in pea, we genotyped a collection of 917 accessions, gathering elite cultivars, landraces, and wild relatives using an array of ∼13,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Genetic diversity is broadly distributed across three groups corresponding to wild/landraces peas, winter types, and spring types. At a finer subdivision level, genetic groups relate to local breeding programs and type usage. LD decreases steeply as genetic distance increases. When considering subsets of the data, LD values can be higher, even if the steep decay remains. We looked for genomic regions exhibiting high level of differentiation between wild/landraces, winter, and spring pea, respectively. Two regions on linkage groups 5 and 6 containing 33 SNPs exhibit stronger differentiation between winter and spring peas than would be expected under neutrality. Interestingly, QTL for resistance to cold acclimation and frost resistance have been identified previously in the same regions.