Development and characterization of genomic microsatellite markers in Rhododendron arboreum

Population genetics characteristics are the fundamentals of conservation and management practices. Rhododendron arboreum, a key biodiversity component inhabiting Indian Himalayas, suffers from overexploitation and global warming. Using biotin-streptavidin hybridization technique, 41 microsatellite markers were designed from an enriched DNA library to provide a genetic background and an insight into the population structure of the species. With a range of 2-14 alleles amplified from 38 loci, the populations were reported with observed and expected heterozygosity of 0.167-0.933 and 0.422-0.917 respectively. Some of the loci showed significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and overall no linkage disequilibrium was detected. These markers will support genetic diversity and further genotyping studies in R. arboreum.