African eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.) is an important vegetable grown for it leaves and fruits in tropical regions. At Burkina Faso, Kumba group is widely used for food and traditional physic. It’s also income source for majority population. Despite, its socioeconomic importance, there is a few scientific knowledge on its genetic diversity. The objective of this study is to evaluate genetic diversity of Kumba group. For this, a molecular characterization of forty-nine (49) accessions collected in the three climatic zones was carried out. The analysis of diversity used EST-SSRs molecular markers revealed moderate genetic variability within the collection, structured into three molecular groups. Indeed, 19 of the 29 markers tested were polymorphic. Expected heterozygosity (He) for the all collection ranged from 0.075 for smSSR41 marker to 0.507 for smSSR27 and smSSR35 markers. The Shannon diversity index (I), it ranged from 0.163 for smSSR41 marker to 1.307 for smSSR09 marker. The organization of this genetic diversity is weakly influenced by the climatic zone.

Kumba, Solanum aethiopicum, Molecular diversity, Burkina Faso