Abstract
Background: Atractylodes lancea and A. chinensis, commonly referred to as Atractylodes Rhizome (AR), are significant traditional medicinal plants in China. AR exhibits a broad geographical distribution within the country. However, the escalating market demand and depletion of wild resources have led to a pressing need for increased cultivation of AR. Despite this urgency, research on the conservation of AR resources remains limited. Hence, it is imperative to conduct an analysis of the genetic background of the original plant and ascertain the specific variety of medicine AR.
Results:This research utilized transcriptome data from A. lancea to develop SSR molecular markers, assess the population structure and genetic diversity of AR, and employed the mantel test to validate the relationship between volatile oil components and genetic distance among the samples. A set of 29 pairs of highly polymorphic SSR primers yielded a total of 264 different alleles. Clustering analysis identified three distinct populations: Mao Mountain, Dabie Mountain, and samples from other locations. A clear differentiation between A. lancea and A. chinensis was observed, facilitating effective discrimination of AR varieties. Screening based on GC-MS results revealed 24 potential differential metabolites between the two species, with correlation analysis indicating significant associations with 18 previously identified molecular markers.
Conclusions: This study successfully developed SSR molecular markers for the purpose of analyzing genetic diversity in A. lancea and A. chinensis. Furthermore, a method was established for identifying the variety of medicine AR, with the confirmation that T72 exhibits the highest predictive ability for β-eudesmol, hinesol, and atractylon. These findings lay a solid groundwork for future quality control of medicine AR and the selection of superior germplasm.