Analysis of Genetic Variation in Celastrus paniculatus Willd. among Different Populations of Southern Western Ghats

C.M. Saranya Babu Jayaprakash; Minoo Divakaran; P. V. Madhusoodanan

Abstract

AbstractCelastrus paniculatus Willd. is an important threatened medicinal woody liana native to the Indian subcontinent. It is distributed chiefly in the deciduous forests, up to an altitude of 1800 m. This species is globally distributed from South Asia to Australia. The seed oil of C. paniculatus is used as a brain tonic for enhancing memory. Due to the over exploitation of the plant for its medicinal values, the plant is listed in the rare endangered and threatened (RET) category. Genetic diversity of C. paniculatus was studied at four different natural populations located at different elevations (48, 700, 1072 and 1793 m) of Southern Western Ghats. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to assess the genetic diversity among four populations. Variations in morphological characters were also observed among the populations. 20 RAPD primers were used to amplify the genomic DNA. A total of 385 bands were generated from 20 primers, 228 (59%) being polymorphic, indicating medium genetic diversity among the populations. Keywords: Celastrus, different populations, morphological variations, RAPDCite this ArticleSaranya Babu Jayaprakash CM, Minoo Divakaran, Madhusoodanan PV. Analysis of Genetic Variation in Celastrus paniculatus Willd. among Different Populations of Southern Western Ghats. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Life Sciences. 2019; 9(2): 63–70p