Species identification and genetic diversity of Alcea (Malvaceae) using SCoT molecular markers: Medicinal plant

Abstract

The genus Alcea that is a member of Malvaceae family, is a Mediterranean perennial herb with major diversity centers in the Middle East and Western Mediterranean Basin. Alcea is a unique genus with several endemic taxa, and many of these endemic taxa from the Irano-Turanian phytogeographical area are particularly interesting. The genus contains 34 species in Iran, 15 of which are endemic. As a result of the importance of Alcea species, molecular data were collected for this genus in this research. For this study, 83 plants were used, which were randomly obtained from 5 species found in 6 provinces. Genomic DNA Amplification with 5 primers resulted in 75 bands, 66 of which were polymorphic (88.12%). The high average MI and PIC values indicated that SCoT primers have a high capacity for detecting polymorphic loci among the species of Alcea. The range of genetic similarities between 5 collected species was estimated to be between 0.77 and 0.89. The SCoT markers analysis revealed that the species Alcea angulata and Alcea popovii had the least similarity, while Alcea loftusii and Alcea sulphurea had the most similarity. The current study?s objectives are as follows: 1) is it possible to identify Alcea species through SCoT markers, 2) what genetic structure do these species have in Iran, and 3) what is the species inter-relationship? The current research found that SCoT markers can be used to identify the species.