DNA barcoding of Pericopsis mooniana from two different populations in Indonesia based on rDNA ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer)

Abstract

A DNA barcoding is a taxonomy method that provide fast and acurate species identification, thus it can be applied to anticipate when a species can not be identified morphologically. This study aimed to assess molecular characteristics of Pericopsis mooniana from two wild populations in Indonesia using a barcoding marker rDNA ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer) as additional information for establishing conservation strategy of this species. Leaf samples of P. mooniana were collected from natural forests at South East Sulawesi and South Kalimantan, and a germplasm orchard at Purwodadi Botanic Garden. Molecular characteristic was evaluated based on a pair of ITS primers that produce between 634-641 bp nucleotide. The sequence data were analyzed by Bioedit version 7.0.5.3 and Mega 7 software. Results showed that P. mooniana from South East Sulawesi and South Kalimantan were clustered together, while P. mooniana from Purwodadi Botanic Garden were separated with only one base difference from those two population. In conclusion, ITS barcoding in this study shows a diffences between P. mooniana collected from South East Sulawesi and South Kalimantan with P. mooniana that originally from Papua. A further study using more barcoding marker and more population could be approached to obtain more information on molecular characters of P. mooniana populations that will useful for establishing conservation and tree breeding program of this species.