College of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, People's Republic of China.
Forestry Science Research Institute of Wufeng County, Yichang, 443400, People's Republic of China.
BMC Plant Biol. 2023 Sep 14;23(1):426. doi: 10.1186/s12870-023-04442-1.
Galla chinensis is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) produced due to the interaction between the Fordinae aphids and the Rhus plant species. Horned galls with high tannin content are the most widely cultivated gall type, and Wufeng county of Hubei province in China is the center of cultivation. However, long-term artificial cultivation and domestication of horned galls to meet the increasing production demand have led to quality degradation. Understanding the reasons underlying quality degradation is urgent for horned gall production and application. The present study used a combination of metabolic, genetic, and ecological analyses to investigate the quality and genetic differentiation of the horned galls under long-term domestication as well as the potential relationships between them.
Analysis of gallic acid content and other three phenotypic traits (fresh weight, gall size, and wall thickness) revealed quality differentiation of horned galls collected from five locations in Wufeng, in which the cultivated samples from Wang Jiaping (WJP) showed the highest degradation. Genetic differentiation between the cultivated and wild Rhus chinensis trees in WJP, and between WJP and the other populations was detected based on SSR molecular markers, however, no significant difference in genetic structure was seen for the aphid populations. Among the various ecological factors examined, temperature was identified as the primary one affecting the quality of horned galls.
Both genetic and ecological factors caused quality differentiation of horned galls. The collection of diverse germplasm of host trees and aphids will help reduce the quality degradation of horned galls in Wufeng.
五倍子是由倍蚜与盐肤木属植物相互作用而产生的一种中药材。五倍子中以单宁含量高的角倍最为普遍，中国湖北省五峰县是其主要产区。然而，为了满足日益增长的产量需求，长期对其进行人工栽培和选育，导致其质量下降。了解导致角倍质量下降的原因对于角倍的生产和应用至关重要。本研究采用代谢组学、遗传组学和生态组学相结合的方法，对角倍在长期人工选育下的质量和遗传分化及其潜在关系进行了研究。
分析没食子酸含量和其他三个表型特征（鲜重、倍径和壁厚）发现，来自五峰五个不同产地的角倍存在质量差异，其中王家园（WJP）的栽培样本退化最严重。基于 SSR 分子标记检测到 WJP 栽培与野生盐肤木、WJP 与其他种群之间存在遗传分化，但倍蚜种群之间没有明显的遗传结构差异。在所研究的各种生态因素中，温度被确定为影响角倍质量的主要因素。
遗传和生态因素共同导致了角倍质量的分化。收集不同的宿主植物和倍蚜种质资源有助于减少五峰角倍的质量退化。
