Molecular Identification and Evaluation of the Genetic Diversity of Dendrobium Species Collected in Southern Vietnam

Nhu-Hoa Nguyen,Hoa-Xo Duong,Ngoc-Diep Le,Hoang-Dung Tran,Thanh-Diem Nguyen,Huyen-Trang Vu

doi:10.3390/biology9040076

Nhu-Hoa Nguyen, Hoa-Xo Duong + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9040076

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Abstract

Dendrobium has been widely used not only as ornamental plants but also as food and medicines. The identification and evaluation of the genetic diversity of Dendrobium species support the conservation of genetic resources of endemic Dendrobium species. Uniquely identifying Dendrobium species used as medicines helps avoid misuse of medicinal herbs. However, it is challenging to identify Dendrobium species morphologically during their immature stage. Based on the DNA barcoding method, it is now possible to efficiently identify species in a shorter time. In this study, the genetic diversity of 76 Dendrobium samples from Southern Vietnam was investigated based on the ITS (Internal transcribed spacer), ITS2, matK (Maturase_K), rbcL (ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit) and trnH-psbA (the internal space of the gene coding histidine transfer RNA (trnH) and gene coding protein D1, a polypeptide of the photosystem I reaction center (psaB)) regions. The ITS region was found to have the best identification potential. Nineteen out of 24 Dendrobium species were identified based on phylogenetic tree and Indel information of this region. Among these, seven identified species were used as medicinal herbs. The results of this research contributed to the conservation, propagation, and hybridization of indigenous Dendrobium species in Southern Vietnam.

Highlights

Dendrobium is among the most abundant genera of flowering plants with over 1148 known species, which ranks second in the orchid family, after the Bulbophyllum genus [1]
Some Dendrobium species are used as medicinal herbs, such as D. densiflorum and D. chrysotoxum [2]
The living environment of indigenous Dendrobium species in Vietnam is declining due to climate change and over-exploitation

Summary

Introduction

Dendrobium is among the most abundant genera of flowering plants with over 1148 known species, which ranks second in the orchid family, after the Bulbophyllum genus [1]. Dendrobium is diverse in shapes, colors, and sizes, and is considered as a favorite ornamental plant. Many studies on diverse Dendrobium species by geographic regions have been published for Australia [3,4], mainland. Asia [5,6], China [7], Thailand [8,9], etc. These studies again confirm the rich diversity of the beautiful orchids.

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