Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran - Isfahan Branch, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P.O. Box 85135-487, Isfahan, Iran; Department of Horticultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Hormozgan, P.O.Box, 3995, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran - Isfahan Branch, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), P.O. Box 85135-487, Isfahan, Iran.
Phytochemistry. 2021 Mar;183:112629. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2020.112629. Epub 2021 Jan 27.
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is a medicinal plant species valued in many countries in Asia and Europe for its phytochemical characteristics. Licorice biodiversity is becoming threatened nowadays in Iran due to increasing demand and a drastic decline of its natural habitats. Therefore, licorice domestication would be necessary in the near future, and molecular breeding would help to introduce genotypes suitable for cultivation. The present study was carried out with 170 individual licorice plants sampled in the wild in 59 localizations in 21 provinces of Iran. The association of 436 polymorphic AFLP markers, produced by 15 primer combinations (EcoRI/MseI), with six phenotypic phytochemical traits was studied. The AMOVA analysis show gene diversity among and within localizations. The population structure analysis identified two main sub-populations with significant genetic variation. Significant associations were identified between three markers (E3/M40-4, E34/M4-12 and E12/M31-15) and glycyrrhizin concentration, and between four markers (E11/M34-12, E11/M34-15, E9/M7-29, and E9/M7-30) and phenolic compounds contents. Markers detected can be useful in the domestication of licorice as well as in breeding programs. Licorice sampled in four localizations (KBA1, KBA2, SKh2 and Fa1) were found to be superior in terms of glycyrrhizin and antioxidants content, and therefore they can be considered as elite genotypes which could be included in the domestication process.
甘草（Glycyrrhiza glabra L.）是一种药用植物，因其植物化学成分而在亚洲和欧洲的许多国家受到重视。由于需求的增加和其自然栖息地的急剧减少，伊朗的甘草生物多样性正受到威胁。因此，在不久的将来，甘草的驯化将是必要的，而分子育种将有助于引入适合栽培的基因型。本研究对从伊朗 21 个省份的 59 个地点采集的 170 株野生甘草个体进行了研究。研究了 436 个多态性 AFLP 标记（由 15 对引物组合（EcoRI/MseI）产生）与 6 个表型生化特性之间的关联。AMOVA 分析表明，基因多样性存在于群体间和群体内。种群结构分析确定了两个主要的亚群，存在显著的遗传变异。有 3 个标记（E3/M40-4、E34/M4-12 和 E12/M31-15）与甘草酸浓度，以及 4 个标记（E11/M34-12、E11/M34-15、E9/M7-29 和 E9/M7-30）与酚类化合物含量之间存在显著关联。检测到的标记可用于甘草的驯化和育种计划。在四个地点（KBA1、KBA2、SKh2 和 Fa1）采样的甘草在甘草酸和抗氧化剂含量方面表现优异，因此可以认为它们是精英基因型，可以纳入驯化过程。
