Exploring genetic relationships in Artemisia species growing in trans-Himalayan cold arid desert using RAPD markers

Abstract

Genetic relationship of five Artemisia species from Trans-Himalayas of Ladakh was assessed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker. Twenty RAPD primers generated a total of 134 bands, with an average of 6.7 bands per primer. Out of 134 bands scored, 97% were found polymorphic while only 3% were monomorphic. The resolving power of primers ranged from 5.44 to 10.64. The ranges of similarity between species varied from 0.480 to 0.775. According to the Unweighted Pair Group Method using Arithmetic Averages (UPGMA) derived dendrogram, at a similarity level of 0.25, the populations were divided into two main groups. With regard to the genetic diversity parameters calculated for different species of origin, maximum and minimum number of effective alleles was observed in A. annua (1.601) and A. gmelinii (1.049) species, respectively. The percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) Nei’s gene diversity (H) and Shannon’s information index (I) for different species, indicated that diversity was highest in A. annua (PPL = 75.56%, H = 0.3283 and I = 0.472) and lowest in A. gmelinii (PPL = 9.63%, H = 0.032 and I = 0.049). The degree of genetic diversity observed using RAPD markers revealed that this approach is very effective in studying not only the phylogeny but also for the future conservation of medicinal wealth of various Artemisia species from this fragile environment of trans-Himalayas.