Genetic diversity of Bletilla striata assessed by SCoT and IRAP markers.

Background: Bletilla striata is a well-known traditional Chinese herb with varieties of functions. In China, the natural resources of Bletilla striata have been severely damaged because of the excessive exploitation and destruction of natural habitats. The aim of present study was to provide a reference for fully exploiting and utilizing the germplasm resources of Bletilla striata .

Results: The genetic diversity of 50 varieties of Bletilla striata from different area in China was analyzed by SCoT and IRAP molecular marker technique. A total of 209 bands were amplified by 20 groups of SCoT primers, of which 201 (96.17%) were polymorphic, and 47 polymorphic bands (94%) were observed in 50 bands amplified by 8 groups of IRAP primers. The 50 populations of Bletilla striata were divided into two major groups by SCoT and IRAP at the genetic similarity coefficient value of 0.60 and 0.68 individually. The partition of clusters in the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean dendrogram and principal coordinate analysis plot based on the SCoT and IRAP markers was similar.

Conclusions: Results indicated the abundant genetic diversity of Bletilla striata among different areas. Our results will provide useful information for resource protection.