Genetic diversity and population structure in Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua as revealed by simple sequence repeat markers

Jiuhua Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (JHPC) is derived from the Liliaceae plant Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (PCH), which has a long history of medicinal use and excellent quality. Over-exploitation has put JHPC at risk, moreover, market confusion caused by the misrepresentation of other PCH origins has compromised the quality of its original product. To address these challenges, simple sequence repeat (SSR) technology was performed to assess the genetic diversity of JHPC, which provided reference for the conservation and management of JHPC germplasm resources. A total of 138 JHPC samples were analyzed via SSR. Fluorescently labelled capillary electrophoresis was performed to identified 118 allelic sites across 18 primer pairs. The average number of polymorphic sites (Na) per primer, the average number of effective alleles (Ne) per site, and the average Shannon's index (I) were 6.540, 3.220, and 1.291, respectively. The polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.367 to 0.839, which revealed the rich genetic diversity of the JHPC variety. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 64% of the genetic variance was within individuals, with only 10% attributed to differences among populations, which suggested that genetic variation predominantly arose within populations. This study revealed significant genetic diversity in JHPC, establishing a foundation for resource utilization and providing technical support for future cultivar selection, meanwhile, supplying crucial genetic data for quality standard research.