Genetic Diversity Assessment of a Critically Endangered Medicinal Plant Populations from Shorea tumbuggaia Roxb.

Abstract

A successful assessment of genetic diversity is consider vital for formulating conservation of the rare, endangered and threatened (RET) species. Our aim was to assess the genetic diversity in Shorea tumbuggaia Roxb. population (Dipterocarpaceae family)—a critically endangered medicinal plant of conservative interest using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Conservation Assessment and Management Planning (CAMP) S. tumbuggaia is considered as an endemic and globally endangered tree species. RAPD markers were used to estimate the genetic variability and similarity among the S. tumbuggaia. Eighteen (18) primers of OPU (1-20) series generated a total of 137 polymorphic bands out of 735 total bands (19.86% polymorphism), with an average of 40.83 amplified bands per primers and 598 bands showed monomorphic banding pattern with an average of 33.22 per primers. Genetic similarity coefficients calculated from RAPD data ranged from 0.82 to 0.95, with the highest value of 0.95 in ST10 and ST11 and the lowest value of 0.82 between accessions ST2 and ST9, ST3 and ST4, ST4 and ST10 and ST5 and ST8.