Mitochondrial NAD7 intronic region as barcoding marker for genetic diversity assessment of six Lathyrus species

Lathyrus is an important agronomic and economic crop. In this study, we evaluated for the first time the potential of intron 2 of the NAD7 mitochondrial gene for assessing intraspecific genetic diversity in six Lathyrus species. A high polymorphism in intron length and nucleotide composition was detected. The 22 accessions examined could be classified into groups corresponding to Kupicha’s sections, independently of their geographical origins.