Assessing the Phenotypic and Genotypic Variations of Plantago ciliata in Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The present work aimed to assess the phenotypic and genotypic variations of Plantago ciliata collected from two different locations in Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia. Two P. ciliata species were collected in 2016 spring season from local natural rangelands. The phenotypic variations were assessed by measuring the main root length, number of stems (spikes), length of the longest stem, number of leaves, and length of the longest leaf as well as the fresh weight of the whole plant. Moreover, the genotypic variations were assessed by using the RAPD technique. Data on phenotypic traits were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure. Cluster analysis supported similarity matrices was additionally deployed on phenotypic data using the Un-Weighted Pair Group Methodology with Arithmetic mean (UPGMA) to get a dendrogram. The results showed significant variations (P ≤ 0.05) in the P. ciliata phenotypic traits within and between the two studied populations. The general pattern of the variation between the two populations showed that the highest measurements were recorded by plant population collected from location I, while the lowest measurements were recorded by population collected from location II. Out of the five APOM, random primers applied, two primers showed amplification in the two populations, while three primers did not show any amplification in any of the populations. Out of these five primers, two primers showed polymorphism and two primers gave the variation in bands. In conclusion, the findings of this study are important for breeding programs and biodiversity conservation in Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia.