Abstract
Morinda (Rubiaceae) is considerably recognized for its multiple uses viz. food, medicine, dyes, firewood, tools, oil, bio-sorbent etc. The molecular characterization of such an important plant would be very useful for its multifarious enhanced utilization. In the present study, 31 Morinda genotypes belonging to two different species Morinda citrifolia L. and Morinda tomentosa B. Heyne exRoth collected from different regions of India were investigated using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Fifteen ISSR primers generated 176 bands with an average of 11.7 bands per primer, of which (90.34%) were polymorphic. The percentage of polymorphic bands, mean Nei’s gene diversity and mean Shannon’s information index in M. tomentosa and M. citrifolia was [(69.89%, 30.68%); (0.21 ± 0.19, 0.12 ± 0.20) and (0.32 ± 0.27 0.17 ± 0.28)] respectively, revealing higher polymorphism and genetic diversity in M. tomentosa compared to M. citrifolia. These diversity rich genotypes of M. tomentosa can be evaluated for nutraceutical, nutritional and other nonfood purposes to identify trait specific genotypes for its enhanced utilization. ISSR markers based Structure, and UPGMA cluster analysis placed the M. tomentosa and M. citrifolia genotypes into well-defined separate clusters. Further, distinct ecotypes within a particular species could also be inferred. Priority regions identified can be earmarked for exploration and collecting substantial number of genotypes for ex-situ conservation. In-situ conservation of Morinda genotypes in hotspots to preserve the diversity in their natural habitats vis-à-vis evolution and increased adaptation of newer diversity with respect to changing environment was also emphasized.
Highlights
Morinda genus (Rubiaceae) is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics
31 Morinda genotypes belonging to two different species Morinda citrifolia and Morinda tomentosa collected from different regions of India were investigated using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers
The percentage of polymorphic bands, mean Nei’s gene diversity, mean Shannon’s information index in Morinda tomentosa and Morinda citrifolia was [(69.89%, 30.68%); (0.21 ± 0.19, 0.12 ± 0.20); (0.32 ± 0.27 0.17 ± 0.28)] respectively, revealing higher polymorphism and genetic diversity in Morinda tomentosa compared to Morinda citrifolia
Summary
Morinda genus (Rubiaceae) is distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics It is an important underutilized fruit plant; Morinda citrifolia (commonly known as noni) and Morinda tomentosa are its two recognized species. In a study by Palu et al (2012), the utility of noni seed oil for human skin health was reported. There are reports available on its usage as an environmentally safe bio-sorbent (Suneetha and Ravindhranath 2012; Vijayalakshmi et al 2013). Keeping in view such a wide significance of Morinda species, genetic diversity and species differentiation studies using molecular markers would give way for its superior conservation as well as utilization. Molecular markers like RAPD, ISSR, SCoT (Singh et al 2011; Arya et al 2013; Arya et al 2014; Bordello et al 2017) have been used to characterize the genetic diversity of Morinda
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