Molecular analyses of genetic diversity in thepopulation of Calligonum Comosum L. ‘Her in Hail region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This paper presents the first molecular study on Calligonum comosum L. ‘Her (Polygonaceae) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, due it’s known to be part of Saudi Arabia’s flora, as a famous medicinal plant, it has several other uses, as it is palatable as animal feed, and dune stabilization, and to increase soil organic matter content. And it has been included on the endangered species list due to its frequent use. Twenty-five C. comosum samples were collected from five different populations from their natural environment and screened using Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers. Eleven ISSR primers amplified 975 reproducible bands of which 495 were polymorphic, and polymorphism of genetic variation between species was 50.8%. This ratio is considered high Among C. comosummembers from multiple populations, this ratio is an indication of the quality of genetic diversity within and between C. comosum populations, which is of great importance for the preservation of the plant. As considered ISSR markers are an effective tool to provide good information for the genetic diversity available in C. comosum inputs from different populations, and the results of this study will help to understand genetic variation and evolutionary dynamics in C. comosum and expand the genetic base for breeding wild species. That additional selection of inputs in each species to assess genetic diversity leads to more useful and reliable results.