The assessment of electromagnetic fields-caused genetic diversity of Tea Camellia sinensis L. using ISSR and SCoT markers

Abstract

The effects of electromagnetic fields on plants have been studied during the last decades. The electromagnetic fields as abiotic stress can induce genetic variation in living organisms including plants by different mechanisms. The aim of the present study is to assay the possible electromagnetic fields-caused genetic diversity of Tea Camellia sinensis L. which is known as favorite herbal beverages by many biochemical constituents. To do so, intersimple sequence repeats (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT) loci were used as molecular markers. Different electromagnetic field treatments by 1, 2, 4 and 6 mT of intensity, for 30 and 60 min per day, for 7 continuous days were imposed, following by DNA extraction and PCR amplification. AMOVA, PCoA and STRU CTU RE analysis based on the ISSR and SCoT markers showed that regardless of the EMFs intensity, 30 min of radiation causes more genetic variation than that of 60 min does until the intensity was increased up to 6 mT, due to direct and indirect mechanisms such as guanine modification, methylation of cytosines, Fenton reaction and direct DNA strands breaking. ISSR sequences, however, underwent more variation than SCoT.