Molecular Analysis of the Species Dracocephalum moldavica L.

There is a growing global trend in the consumption of cultivated medicinal and aromatic plants and an increasing demand for medicinal plants for the production of herbal medicines, health products, dietary supplements, and cosmetic products. The raw plant material from medicinal plant crops is insufficient to meet the needs of this industry. There is a preference for cultivated plant material because most pharmaceutical companies prefer raw materials that meet the required quality standards. Therefore, expanding the cultivation of medicinal plant and introducing new species into cultivation is becoming an important objective. These efforts are complemented by other advantages of cultivation (e.g., modern mechanized agricultural techniques, irrigation, fertilization, and mechanized harvesting). Molecular characterization of the species Dracocephalum moldavica, was focused on analysing the genetic structure of a cultivated plant population. Genetic analysis can provide important data regarding intra- and interpopulation genetic polymorphism, closely correlated with the adaptive capacity of the species to different pedo-climatic conditions, as well as the biosynthetic capacity of pharmacologically active compounds. This enables the accurate identification and selection of new valuable genotypes. Molecular analysis can be performed using DNA molecular markers, among which SSR (simple sequence repeats) and ISSR (inter simple sequence repeats) markers are frequently used due to their high reproducibility, relatively low cost, and avoidance of radioactivity (as is the case with other molecular markers). In this study, ISSR markers revealed genetic polymorphism of cultivated plants.