Assessing mung bean genetic diversity with Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers: a step towards climate-tolerant varieties for global food security

Mung bean (Vigna radiata) is an important, underutilized legume known for its nutritional value and ecological adaptability, making it a potential crop for combating global food insecurity, particularly under climate change stress. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity of 75 mung bean accessions from seven countries using Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers. A total of 24 primers were evaluated, and 15 were selected for further analysis based on polymorphism. The primers produced 304 bands, 264 of which were polymorphic, indicating high genetic diversity among the mung bean accessions. The average polymorphism rate was 88.22%, and the mean polymorphism information content (PIC) value was 0.23, suggesting moderate marker informativeness. Genetic diversity indices, including Nei’s gene diversity (h), the effective number of alleles (Ne), and Shannon’s information index (I), ranged from 0.27 to 0.42, demonstrating moderate variability in the studied population. The genetic relationship analysis using Neighbor-Joining (NJ) trees and Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) divided the accessions into two main groups, with further subgroups identified, reflecting the complex genetic structure within the germplasm. The study also identified significant intra-population variation (87%), indicating substantial genetic admixture. These results provide insights into the genetic resources of mung bean, supporting the development of breeding programs aimed at enhancing climate resilience, yield stability, and nutritional quality. The findings underscore the importance of conserving and utilizing genetic diversity in mung beans to ensure food security in the face of environmental challenges.