Morphological and Genetic Diversity of Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) in the Karakoram Mountains of Northern Pakistan

Abstract

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is a dioecious, wind-pollinated shrub growing in Eurasia including the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan territory). Contrary to the situation in other countries, in Pakistan this species is heavily underutilized. Moreover, a striking diversity of berry colors and shapes in Pakistan raises the question: which varieties might be more suitable for different national and international markets? Therefore, both morphological and genetic diversity of sea buckthorn were studied to characterize and evaluate the present variability, including hypothetically ongoing domestication processes. Overall, 300 sea buckthorn individuals were sampled from eight different populations and classified as wild and supposedly domesticated stands. Dendrometric, fruit and leaf morphometric traits were recorded. Twelve EST-SSRs (expressed sequence tags-simple sequence repeats) markers were used for genotyping. Significant differences in morphological traits were found across populations and between wild and village stands. A significant correlation was found between leaf area and altitude. Twenty-two color shades of berries and 20 dorsal and 15 ventral color shades of leaves were distinguished. Mean genetic diversity was comparatively high (He = 0.699). In total, three distinct genetic clusters were observed that corresponded to the populations’ geographic locations. Considering high allelic richness and genetic diversity, the Gilgit-Baltistan territory seems to be a promising source for selection of improved germplasm in sea buckthorn.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Wild Seabuckthorn (Hippophae Salicifolia) Growing in the Uttarakhand Region of The Indian Himalayas

“…The color of leaves tissue (dorsal and ventral side) and berries were determined by an effective method of 920 RHS colorcoded reference from 'The Royal Horticultural Society' (RHS) color charts. The 920 RHS color-coded references are decoded into the Red-Green-Blue (RGB) standard colors used for a visual representation to identify plant tissue colors (Nawaz et al 2018). It is freely available on the RHS webpage (http://rhscf.orffree.com) and was accessed on March 3, 2020).…”

“…This was the rst time, the RHS charts references were used for H. salicifolia leaf and fruits color assessments in India. This tool was earlier used by Nawaz et al (2018) in the assessment of H. rhamnoides growing in the Karakoram Mountains. The assessment of the color shades is challenging as the shades of color highly depend upon the maturity stage, sunlight exposure, availability of water, soil nutrient, and also natural calamities that persist in rigid high terrains of the Indian Himalayas.…”

“…A number of elaborate studies are conducted on the genetic diversity of seabuckthorn, notably on H. rhamnoides, however, the species H. salicifolia has remained unexplored (Yao and Tigerstedt 1993;Sun et al 2006). These studies suggest that the variations on the morphological, biochemical, and molecular levels are controlled by a combination of biotic and abiotic factors (Nawaz et al 2018). Therefore, research on the molecular discrepancy of the seabuckthorn population in the Indian trans-Himalayan region will help to characterize and understand the level of genetic diversity present in the ecotypes of seabuckthorn (Srihari et al 2013).…”

Superfruit in the Niche—Underutilized Sea Buckthorn in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

“…More than 90% of Gilgit-Baltistan is covered by mountain ranges and glaciers, while the remaining area is arable land used by small-scale, subsistence-oriented farmers, which partly rely on local forest resources [41,42]. Among these, sea buckthorn is an underutilized plant resource which grows well under adverse agroecological conditions leading to highly scattered stands [43]. The climate of Gilgit-Baltistan varies widely from arid to semi-arid conditions along the elevation gradient with an annual precipitation of 200 mm (below 3000 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.))…”

“…There are several known varieties of sea buckthorn exhibiting larger fruits and less/no thorns especially in China ('Hongguo' and 'Liaohuyihao'), Mongolia ('Wulangemu'; [89]), Germany ('Frugana', 'Hergo', 'Leikora', and 'Dorana'; [90]), Finland ('Tytti', 'Terhi', and 'Tarmo'), and Russia ('Botanicheskaya Ljubitelskaya', 'Prozrachnaya', and 'Podarok Sadu'; [91]). These varieties could be used for breeding purposes after a critical screening and evaluation of promising local plant genetic material (large fruits) such as found in the Shimshal valley and Skardu region [43]. Using local materials for breeding would also help to preserve regional diversity.…”