Genetic diversity among and within Ferula asafoetida H. Karst. populations using molecular and phytochemical markers

Ferula asafoetida is an herbaceous, perennial and monocarpic species of the Apiaceae family with medicinal properties. In this study, the genetic diversity of F. asafetida populations was assessed using SCoT and SRAP molecular markers. Nine SCoT and nine SRAP primer combinations amplified 211 and 194 bands, showing 96.07% and 92.87% of polymorphism, respectively. The dendrograms generated from Jaccard's similarity matrix and the UPGMA method revealed that genetic relationships among the F. asafoetida genotypes were not related to their geographical regions. The analysis also revealed a relatively acceptable differentiation in allele frequencies, illustrating the high genetic diversity and gene flows among the populations. The high percent of diversity among the populations indicated a rich resource of germplasm for breeding programs. Moreover, STRUCTURE analysis showed the high admixture of the studied accessions. According to AMOVA analysis, higher genetic variation occurred within the populations. Total phenolic content was also assessed using the folin-ciocalteu method, observing a relatively extent variety (0.163-0.938 mg TA/g DW) among the populations. In addition, HPLC analysis defined eleven compounds in which p-coumaric and 1,3- caffeoylquinic acids were the most abundant phenolic acids. Finally, Feragheh population possessed the highest TPC (total phenolic content) and gene diversity. Karaj population also exhibited the highest amount of flavonoids and phenolic acids such as kaempferol and p-coumaric acids.