Genetic and Flower Volatile Diversity in Natural Populations of Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietsw. in Bulgaria: Toward the Development of a Core Collection

Abstract

We studied the genetic and flower volatile diversity in natural populations of Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietsw. in Bulgaria using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of flower volatiles from individual plants. Two regions, including the Kresna Gorge and Eastern Rhodopes, typical for the species comprising eight populations and 239 individual plants were included in this study. An analysis with 11 SSR markers and eight SRAP primer combinations showed that SRAP markers were substantially more informative than the SSR markers and were further used for genetic diversity analysis. The results showed low-range to mid-range genetic differentiation between the populations with pairwise fixation index (Fst) values ranging between 0.0047 and 0.11. A total of 10 genetic clusters were identified. An analysis of the flower volatile diversity identified a total of 63 compounds with the vast majority of plants belonging to the carvacrol chemotype and just a single plant to the thymol chemotype. Large deviations were observed for individual compounds within each region as well as within the populations. Hierarchical clustering showed a clear sample grouping based on the two different regions. In addition, an in-depth analysis identified six major and 23 minor metabolite clusters. The overall data set and cluster analysis were further used for the development and testing of a simple and straightforward strategy for the selection of individual plants for the development of a core collection representing the sampled natural populations for this species in Bulgaria. The proposed strategy involves precise genetic clustering of the tested plants followed by the selection of a minimal set from each genetic cluster representing the different metabolite clusters. The selected core set was further compared with a core set extracted by the PowerCore software. A comparison of the genetic and metabolic affiliation of the members of both sets showed that the reported approach selected representatives from each genetic cluster and minor metabolic cluster, whereas some metabolic clusters were unrepresented in the PowerCore set. The feasibility and efficiency of applying the pointed strategy for the development of a core collection representing both the genetic and metabolite diversity of natural populations in aromatic and medicinal plants toward subsequent steps of selection and breeding are discussed.

Biological Activity and NMR-Fingerprinting of Balkan Endemic Species Stachys thracica Davidov

“…The SRAP approach, developed by Li and Quiros [ 21 ], is a simple, effective, and reliable marker system that can be adapted for a variety of purposes. The SRAP markers have been successfully applied for analysis of genetic diversity in plant genetic resources and natural populations from the Lamiaceae family [ 22 , 23 ]. Alekseeva et al [ 23 ] studied genetic diversity in Origanum vulgare subsp.…”

“…The SRAP markers have been successfully applied for analysis of genetic diversity in plant genetic resources and natural populations from the Lamiaceae family [ 22 , 23 ]. Alekseeva et al [ 23 ] studied genetic diversity in Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum and reported that the SRAP assay is sensitive in the detection of heterogeneity between individuals within populations of the same species.…”

Comparison of Origanum Essential Oil Chemical Compounds and Their Antibacterial Activity against Cronobacter sakazakii

“…All OEO compounds were visualized using a heatmap ( Figure 1 A). According to the plant materials and the composition analysis results, habitats may have specific effects on OEO composition, in addition to various species, artificial cultivation, and selection factors [ 2 , 32 , 33 ].…”

“…Natural plant extracts, such as essential oils and organic acids, have a specific antibacterial effect [ 1 ]. Essential oil exerts a bacteriostatic effect on multiple targets in bacteria by disrupting the bacterial membrane and reducing the intracellular ATP concentration and intracellular pH value [ 2 , 3 ]; thus, developing antibiotic resistance is not easy. In addition, essential oil has been extensively studied for applications in food, hygiene, cosmetics, and medicine for its antibacterial properties [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”

Genetic Diversity Study on Geographical Populations of the Multipurpose Species Elsholtzia stauntonii Using Transferable Microsatellite Markers

“…Furthermore, AMOVA revealed that the variation among E. stauntonii populations (18.53%) was higher than that of many other plant species, such as Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum (8%) ( Alekseeva et al, 2021 ) and Allium sativum L. (12.29%) ( Poljuha et al, 2021 ), suggesting that disruption of gene flow between the populations played a role in determining the genetic differentiation of populations. Similarly, the results of the Mantel test ( r = 0.56, p < 0.001) showed that increase in geographic distance reduced gene flow.…”