engleski

Genetic diversity of natural Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L.) populations from Albania

Salvia officinalis L. occupies an important place in the Albanian market for aromatic medicinal plants due to the high content and composition of its essential oil and is the most economically important species for the country. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of eight populations of Dalmatian sage from Albania, using eight microsatellite markers (SSRs) previously developed for this species. All eight- microsatellite markers yielded unique and easily detectable amplified fragments that revealed a high level of polymorphism (average of 15 alleles per locus). Overall values of expected heterozygosity (HE) ranged from 0.608 to 0.818, with a mean of 0.721. The highest gene diversity was found in northern Adriatic populations, decreasing towards the southern limit of the species range. Multilocus estimates of Wright’s inbreeding coefficient within populations (FIS) showed no significant deviation from Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium. Analysis of molecular variance showed that most of the total genetic diversity was attributable to differences between individuals within populations (83.14 %) which is to be expected due to outcrossing nature of the species. Bayesian analysis of population structure revealed the existence of two gene pools, the northern gene pool, and the southern gene pool. At K = 3, the Dibër population (the easternmost population in the sample) formed a separate gene pool. As commercial collection of Dalmatian sage in the wild has a negative impact on biodiversity, these results will form the basis for of plant genetic resource conservation and plant breeding programmes for this valuable species.

Lamiaceae ; genetic diversity ; genomic SSRs ; population structure

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