title: Application of RAD Sequencing for Evaluating the Genetic Diversity of Domesticated Panax notoginseng (Araliaceae).
abstract: Panax notoginseng, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, has been cultivated and domesticated for approximately 400 years, mainly in Yunnan and Guangxi, two provinces in southwest China. This species was named according to cultivated rather than wild individuals, and no wild populations had been found until now. The genetic resources available on farms are important for both breeding practices and resource conservation. In the present study, the recently developed technology RADseq, which is based on next-generation sequencing, was used to analyze the genetic variation and differentiation of P. notoginseng. The nucleotide diversity and heterozygosity results indicated that P. notoginseng had low genetic diversity at both the species and population levels. Almost no genetic differentiation has been detected, and all populations were genetically similar due to strong gene flow and insufficient splitting time. Although the genetic diversity of P. notoginseng was low at both species and population levels, several traditional plantations had relatively high genetic diversity, as revealed by the He and π values and by the private allele numbers. These valuable genetic resources should be protected as soon as possible to facilitate future breeding projects. The possible geographical origin of Sanqi domestication was discussed based on the results of the genetic diversity analysis.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.|College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Yuezhi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science and Agronomy, Zhoukou Normal University, Zhoukou, China.
authors.forename: Xueqin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Guiling
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Fusheng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.
authors.forename: Xun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D001947:Breeding; D002681:China; D014644:Genetic Variation; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D053723:Panax notoginseng / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000235:genetics