Morphometric analysis and sequence related amplified polymorphism determine genetic diversity in Salvia species

Salvia species is a member of the Lamiaceae family, and it also possesses medicinal and horticulture values. The genetic diversity was assessed through sequence-related amplified polymorphism. To uncover genetic diversity and species characteristics in Salvia species were studied through a combination of morphological and molecular data. One hundred forty-five individuals related to 30 Salvia were collected in 18 provinces. A total of 157 (Number of total loci) (NTL) DNA bands were produced through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from 30 Salvia species. These bands were produced with the combinations of 10 selective primers. The total number of amplified fragments ranged from 10 to 20. The predicted unbiased heterozygosity (H) varied between 0.11 (Salvia urmiensis) and 0.31 (Salvia limbata). High Shannon’s information index was detected in Salvia limbata. The genetic similarities between 30 species are estimated from 0.46 to 0.91. Clustering results showed two major clusters. According to the SRAP (Sequence-related amplified polymorphism) markers analysis, Salvia hydrangea and Salvia sharifii had the lowest similarity. Salvia bracteata and Salvia suffruticosa were genetically dissimilar to each other. This study also detected a significant signature of isolation by distance. Present results showed that sequence-related amplified polymorphism has the potential to decipher genetic affinity between Salvia species. Current results have implications in biodiversity and conservation programs. Besides this, present results could pave the way for selecting suitable ecotypes for forage and pasture purposes in Iran.