SSR analysis on the genetic diversity of Deinanthe caerulea Stapf., a rare and endemic plant in China

Abstract

Deinanthe caerulea Stapf. （D.caerulea） is a rare perennial herb endemic to China, with high medicinal and ornamental value. It is classified as VU endangered in the Chinese Species Red List (CSRL). Research on it has been extremely limited so far. In this paper, D.caerulea seeds were collected for morphological observation, vitality test, and germination experiments, and the results were as follows: the average fruit yield of D.caerulea seeds reached 1503.99 ± 483.64 per fruit, and there was a 30.26% abortion rate. TTC（2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride） staining experiments showed that D.caerulea seeds had an activity rate of 86.33%. Light at 3000 lx and temperature at 25°C/15°C were the optimum conditions for seed germination. The results of seed germination experiments in the artificial incubator showed that the seed germination rate could reach 68.89% under the optimum conditions, but the suitable temperature range for seed germination was extremely narrow, which required a clever coupling between the external environment and the biological properties of seeds to ensure smooth seed germination, which was the main reason for the scarcity of seedling regeneration in the field. These factors, together with insufficient light in the forest understory to limit seed germination, are intrinsic to the difficulty of natural regeneration of this species.