Assessing Genetic Diversity in Squash Pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) Through Computational Analysis of Plastid Genes.

Abstract Understanding the genetic diversity of economic crops, including wild relatives of genetic resources is fundamental for the continued improvement of varieties and breeds needed to cope with changes in climatic conditions. Obtaining high plant yield is not always achievable in agricultural activity as it is determined by various factors, including cultivar quality, nutrient and water supplies, degree of infection by pathogens, natural calamities and soil conditions, which affect plant growth and development. The present study was carried out using computational analysis to assess the genetic diversity in the plastid gene of 20 accessions of squash pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata). Guanine-cytosine (GC) content, phylogenetic relationship, secondary and tertiary protein structure and domain architecture were assessed. The accessions of the Squash pumpkin were retrieved from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. The phylogenetic tree showed a total of 12 clades which had 2 main clades with 4 100% bootstrap in accessions XM₀23105445. 1, XM₀23105444. 1, XM₀23075850. 1 and XM₀23075859. 1. The GC content was highest in accession XM₀21009681. 1 and lowest in accession XM₀23076698. 1. The domain architecture prediction showed the highest number of domains in accession XM₀2100968. 1 and a single domain in accessions XM₀2105444. 1, XM₀230758951. 1 and XM₀23067309. 1, suggesting that these sequences may have more specialized functions. The secondary and tertiary protein structure showed variations among the accessions, indicating the possibility of structural differences which could have functional implications in the protein stability or interactions with other molecules.