Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Five Cultivated Dioscorea spp. (Dioscoreaceae) using

Dioscorea genus belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family, presenting more than 600 species throughout the tropics. This genus had world wide dispersion at the end of the Cretaceous period, occurring soon after an evolution with different courses in the Old and New World, originating distinct species. The separation of the Asian and African species occurred later in the Miocene (Coursey 1967).