SSR analysis and fingerprint construction to evaluate the genetic diversity of medicinal plum varieties

• DOI: 10.1007/s13562-021-00681-1
• Publication Date: 2021-07-28T17:02:46Z
• Authors: Rui Wang; Xin Li; Wei Zhang; Jinmei Ou; Chengwu Fang; Qianqian Song; Huiyin Zhou
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 0303 health sciences; 03 medical and health sciences; 3. Good health

As a medicinal and edible plant, the plum (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) plays an important role in the treatment of diseases and human health. However, the genetic diversity and genetic composition of medicinal plum species cultivated in China remain incompletely clear, hampering the accurate identification. Here, the genetic diversity and population structure of 40 medicinal plum varieties in China were analyzed using polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers, and the lineages compared. SSR allelic analysis was followed by a STRUCTRE analysis. The mean observed heterozygosity (HO) and polymorphism information content were 0.74 and 0.69, respectively. The cumulative probability of identity was very low with a value of 7.17 × 10−19. STRUCTURE analysis provided evidence for three genetic groups. Further, a genetic fingerprint consisting of four pairs of SSR primers has been successfully developed to accurately distinguish 40 varieties of medicinal plum. This study provides reference data which can be used to assist the breeding, quality evaluation, and development of medicinal plum varieties.