Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Bupleurum spp. Basing Agronomic Traits, Medicinal Components and ISSR Markers

Abstract

Radix bupleuri is one of the bulk medicinal materials in China and it is widely adopted in clinical applications and drug discovery. The investigation of agronomic traits, active component content and genetic diversity in diverse Radix bupleuri germplasms may provide evidence to promote the selection of better strains. In this research, 13 germplasms from various sources were used to investigate the variations between different Radix bupleuri germplasms. Nine biological characteristics were noted in the field, and the levels of the two primary active ingredients were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Moreover, the molecular marker technique of inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) were employed to evaluate the molecular genetic diversity. The findings showed that there was a wide range of variation among the many varieties of Radix bupleuri, with coefficients of variation for agronomic traits and active component content ranging from 7.62% to 41.54% and 36.47% to 53.70%, respectively. Moreover, there are different degrees of relationship between the two. Since there was a significant correlation between root weight and saikosaponin content, it was possible to classify a plant based on its weight and anticipate its saikosaponin content. The 13 species were divided into four groups based on their germplasm by genetic markers-based cluster analysis. This indicated the possibility that the component content would not necessarily be related to germplasm and might easily be influenced by environmental factors. The use of ISSR marker technology made it possible to precisely identify the various Radix bupleuri provenances and its counterfeit products. There may be a way to prevent the misunderstandings caused by the appearance and composition of Chinese medicinal substances. In our study, the germplasm of Radix bupleuri that was widely circulated in the market was comprehensively evaluated in terms of agronomic traits, active components and molecular level, and identified by simple means, to provide a theoretical basis for the evaluation and screening of fine germplasms of Radix bupleuri.

Genetic diversity analysis of main agronomic traits and ISSR markers in 35 ornamental rape germplasm resources

“…Yang et al, using ISSR markers, uncovered the causes of population decline in sea anemones, proposed conservation strategies, and laid the scientific groundwork for the development of superior seed resources[33].Peng et al explored the agronomic traits, active component content, and genetic diversity of various Bupleurum chinense germplasm resources. Cluster analysis based on genetic markers grouped 13 species of Bupleurum chinense into four categories, indicating that component content does not necessarily correlate with germplasm and is susceptible to environmental influences[34].Mesfer ALshamrani et al investigated the genetic diversity of six sesame landraces using ISSR markers, amplifying 233 alleles with an average polymorphism percentage of 65.32%, demonstrating the high reproducibility of the ISSR markers used[35]. While ISSR molecular markers are predominantly employed to study rape diversity, few studies have focused on ornamental rape.…”