Population genetics of Calotropis gigantea, a medicinal and fiber resource plant using microsatellite markers in two native countries

Calotropis gigantea has aesthetic, medicinal, pharmacological, fodder, fuel and fiber production values, especially in dry land and coastal regions of the world. Unfortunately, this potential plant still undomesticated and there is an urgent need to its domestication, breeding and development of varieties. Microsatellite markers can play a great role in this case. We sampled 21 natural populations of C. gigantea from its two native countries (Bangladesh and China) for genotyping using nine microsatellite loci. C. gigantea showed higher genetic diversity in Bangladesh than China, and overall, a moderate genetic diversity was found (Na = 3.741, HE = 0.443) with greater genetic variation within populations (64.90%) and high level of genetic differentiation (FST = 0.351). We found a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances (r = 0.4436, P = 0.010). The Bayesian clustering, UPGMA tree and PCoA analyses yielded three distinct genetic groups. The historical Gene flow based on FST was higher among Bayesian structure groups. The sexual and asexual reproduction, long-distance seed dispersal of seed, colonization capability, and tolerance to diverse environmental conditions of C. gigantea attributed to its high gene flow, moderate genetic diversity with some level of genetic differentiation and strong genetic structure of the species. This investigation is the first valuable population genetic report of this species, which is useful for its future domestication, breeding, management, and germplasm conservation. If you have question, please contact Md. Rabiul Islam: [e-mail]