Abstract
The objective of the present study was to examine phenotypic diversity in populations of Rodgersia sambucifolia and related species,thereby providing important information to assist in the effective protection and sustainable utilization of these germplasm resources.Nested ANOVA and cluster analysis were used to elucidate phenotypic diversity,based on 16 traits,in 150 plants from 15 populations of R.sambucifolia and three related species(including varieties) in Yunnan Province,China.The average within-species coefficient of variation was greater than 20%.Rodgersia sambucifolia var.estrigosa possessed the largest coefficient of variation,followed successively by R.sambucifolia,R.aesculifolia,and R.pinnata.There was great variation in phenotypic traits within populations.The largest within-population variation coefficients( 50%) were those for dry weight of aerial plant parts,the number of rhizomes per plant,and hair on the adaxial leaflet surface(100%),while that for color of flocculence on the abaxial leaflet surface was 0.These traits could thus be used to distinguish R.sambucifolia and its related species.For the four species,phenotypic variation coefficients were higher within than between populations,with most observed variation derived from within-population variability.Species phenotypic diversity indexes were relatively high,with those for rhizome diameter the highest,and those for adaxial leaflet surface hair and color of flocculence on the abaxial leaflet surface the lowest.The overall mean phenotypic diversity index was 1.39,ranging from a high of 1.44 in R.sambucifolia to 1.23 in R.pinnata.In addition,cluster analysis showed that the 15 populations of R.sambucifolia and related species could be divided into four categories.The results obtained here suggest that: 1) sampling more individuals within a single population,rather than collecting a few individuals from many different populations,is the best strategy for genetic improvement of R.sambucifolia germplasm resources;2) more attention should be focused on choosing superior individuals during the process of genetic improvement;and 3) population integrity is the key determining factor for protection of germplasm resources of R.sambucifolia and related species.
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