Development of Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA Based SCAR Marker for Identification ofIpomoea mauritianaJacq (Convolvulaceae)

Abstract

Vidari is an Ayurvedic herbal drug used as aphrodisiac, galactagogue and is also used in the preparation ofChyavanaprash. Tubers ofIpomoea mauritianaJacq. (Convolvulaceae),Pueraria tuberosa(Roxb. ex Willd.) DC (Fabaceae),Adenia hondala(Gaertn.) de Wilde (Passifloraceae) and pith ofCycas circinalisL. (Cycadaceae) are all traded in the name of Vidari, creating issues of botanical authenticity of the Ayurvedic raw drug. DNA-based markers have been developed to distinguishI. mauritianafrom the other Vidari candidates. A putative 600-bp polymorphic sequence, specific toI. mauritianawas identified using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Furthermore, sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) primers (IM1F and IM1R) were designed from the unique RAPD amplicon. The SCAR primers produced a specific 323-bp amplicon in authenticI. mauritianaand not in the allied species.