IDENTIFICATION OF PLANTS OF THE FAMILY FABACEAE USING MOLECULAR BARCODAING ANALYSIS

The Fabaceae family in Kazakhstan comprises 42 genera and about 650 species. Leguminous crops, such as beans, peas, soybeans, and peas, as well as forage plants like clover, alfalfa, sainfoin, and sweet clover, are rich in protein and widely used in the food and feed industries. They are also utilized in the production of biodegradable materials, oils, dyes, and biodiesel fuel. DNA barcoding is effective for species identification within Fabaceae despite their morphological variability, highlighting the importance of preserving their diversity. To assess the genetic diversity of 15 Fabaceae species in the Karaganda region, three pairs of primers were used. The chloroplast markers matK and rbcL, as well as the nuclear marker ITS, were employed. The obtained sequences were analyzed using Vector NTI and MEGA11, registered in the GenBank NCBI database, and voucher specimens are stored in the herbarium of the National Center for Biotechnology in Astana. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of DNA barcoding for species identification of Fabaceae based on the analysis of ITS, rbcL, and matK markers using the maximum likelihood method. The results underscore the significance of selecting markers considering their variability for accurate phylogenetic analysis and the necessity of further population studies to preserve biological diversity in Kazakhstan.