Preliminary assessment of genetic diversity between Glebionis coronaria and G. discolor (Asteraceae) by AFLP markers

Abstract

Glebionis coronaria is a valuable and medicinal herb native of Mediterranean region. Recently, G. coronaria var. discolor has been elevated to the rank of species as G. discolor (d’Urv.) Cano based on morphological characteristics, distinguishing it from G. coronaria var. coronaria (=G. coronaria). To investigate the genetic basis of this diversity, AFLP markers were applied to genotypes of G. discolor and G. coronaria sampled in three different Mediterranean regions (Italy, Spain, and Portugal). Our results showed that among 1347 fragments identified with five primer combinations 99.55 % were polymorphic. The genetic distance and the Shannon Index values suggested that the two species can be genetically distinguished, but further studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis.