Origins of traditional cultivars of Primula sieboldii revealed by nuclear microsatellite and chloroplast DNA variations

Abstract

We examined the origins of 120 cultivars of Primula sieboldii, a popular Japanese pot plant with a cultivation history of more than 300 years. In an assignment test based on the microsatellite allelic composition of representative wild populations of P. sieboldii from the Hokkaido to Kyushu regions of Japan, most cultivars showed the highest likelihood of derivation from wild populations in the Arakawa River floodplain. Chloroplast DNA haplotypes of cultivars also suggested that most cultivars have come from genets originating in wild populations from the same area, but, in addition, that several are descended from genets originating in other regions. The existence of three haplotypes that have not been found in current wild populations suggests that traditional cultivars may retain genetic diversity lost from wild populations.

Generation of expressed sequence tags, development of microsatellite and single nucleotide polymorphism markers in Primula sieboldii E. Morren (Primulaceae) for analysis of genetic diversity in natural and horticultural populations

“…This suggests that horticultural collections do not represent the entire genetic diversity of P. sieboldii. Honjo et al (2008) investigated the origin of 120 horticultural cultivars using assignment tests against natural populations and found that most of the cultivars originated from a single metapopulation, called Asama-Arakawa. These authors also found that P. sieboldii cultivars are the result of intraspecific variation without any interspecific crosses.…”

Origins of <i>Hosta</i> Cultivars Based on Sequence Variations in Chloroplast DNA

“…The origins of cultivars of Primula sieboldii, a popular species in Japan, were examined by analyzing chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) variations, suggesting that most cultivars were derived from wild populations (Honjo et al, 2008). From the P. sieboldii cultivars, 10 cpDNA haplotypes were identified, three of which were newly detected and not present in wild populations.…”

“…From the P. sieboldii cultivars, 10 cpDNA haplotypes were identified, three of which were newly detected and not present in wild populations. Honjo et al (2008) determined that the majority of the cultivars had been improved by intraspecific crossing among P. sieboldii originating from the AsamaArakawa populations and other cultivars from other areas of Japan. Similar to cultivars of P. sieboldii, the Hosta cultivars may have originated from different regions of Japan.…”

“…cpDNA variations have often been used to trace cultivar origins (Honjo et al, 2008;Tanaka et al, 2013). We previously analyzed sequence variations in two noncoding regions of cpDNA in over 100 wild populations of H. sieboldiana and H. albomarginata in Japan (Lee and Maki, 2013), and identified 39 haplotypes of cpDNA with specific regional features in these two species (16 and 23 in H. sieboldiana and H. albomarginata, respectively).…”

Genetic variation and differentiation of floral morphology in wild Primula sieboldii evaluated by image analysis data and SSR markers

“…Primula sieboldii (E. Morren), which is a perennial clonal herb that occurs in a range of moist habitats from the understory of deciduous forests to well managed grasslands, is distributed in Japan which from Hokkaido to Kyushu, on the Korean Peninsula, in northern China and in eastern Siberia (Yamazaki 1993). Primula sieboldii has been bred as a traditional garden herb for about 300 years from Edo era in Japan (Torii 1985), and there are more than 300 cultivars with various petal colors and shapes that originated by crossbreeding between wild P. sieboldii individuals in Japan (Honjo et al 2008b in press). Recently, overexploitation and habitat destruction are threatening wild Primula populations with extinction.…”