The use of molecular markers is effective to evaluate the genetic variation. The chosen biological material in this study is the Legume genus Sulla, which is threaten by an ecologic dequilibrium, the genetic erosion. Sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers were used to assess the genetic diversity and to schematize the relationships among and between the species of Sulla, endemic to mediterranean provinces. Twelve SRAP primer combinations generated 94 bands and showed a high inter-specific variability. Actually, (Φpt) value is relatively high 0.477 and the AMOVA analysis revealed that 62% of the diversity is inter-specific. These results were confirmed by the topology of the (NJ) cladogramm. The systematic examination of the genus of Sulla revealed the relatedness of the north african species, suggesting that the Maghreb is a hotspot of diversity. The use of these co-dominant markers allowed us to estimate the genetic diversity and then to improve the adaptability of the crops in the Mediterranean soils. SRAP markers could also be anchored to virtual Linkage Groups and then used for gene mapping.
 

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