Genetic diversity analysis of Prunella vulgaris in China using ISSR and SRAP markers

This study assessed the molecular genetic diversity and relationships among 25 wild Prunella vulgaris L. populations and one cultivated population in China. The results showed that all the 26 P. vulgaris populations possessed high levels of genetic diversity. However, polymorphism was relatively lower in the cultivated population. Seventeen SRAP primer combinations generated 153 amplification bands, of which 134 were polymorphic. However, 195 polymorphic bands were detected out of 219 bands that were amplified using 20 ISSR primers. ISSR markers showed a slightly higher proportion of polymorphic loci (PPL = 89.19%) than did the SRAP markers (PPL = 87.93%). The results also showed that the 26 populations could be clustered into three groups by cluster analysis, which matched the geographic distribution of this species. The data indicated that ISSR and SRAP are both reliable and effective tools for analyzing genetic diversity in P. vulgaris. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.