Ethnomedical Uses and Preliminary Phytogenetic Profiling of Moringa oleifera Accessions in Kogi State

Moringa oleifera, commonly known as the drumstick tree, is widely cultivated across Nigeria for its nutritional and medicinal properties. However, genetic diversity among locally cultivated Moringa accessions is poorly characterised, which limits breeding efforts to improve nutritional quality and yield. This study documented ethnomedical uses of Moringa oleifera among communities in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria, and assessed the phytogenetic diversity of 10 locally sourced accessions using RAPD (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA) markers. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 30 community herbalists through semi-structured interviews. Leaf samples from accessions across three local government areas were processed for total DNA extraction. Ten arbitrary 10-mer primers were used for RAPD-PCR, and polymorphic bands were scored to construct a Dice similarity matrix and UPGMA dendrogram. Clustering analysis revealed two broad genetic clusters among Kogi accessions, with moderate within-cluster diversity. The most ethnobotanically utilised accession showed distinct phytogenetic characteristics. These findings provide the foundation for germplasm conservation and participatory variety improvement of Moringa in Kogi State. Keywords: Moringa oleifera, RAPD markers, genetic diversity, Kogi State, ethnobotany