Assessment of Genetic Diversity by Application of Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) Primers on Iranian Harmal (<i>Peganum harmala</i> L.) Germplasm as an Important Medicinal Plant

Abstract

Syrian Rue or Harmal (<em>Peganum harmala</em> L.), belonged to the family of Peganaceae, grows in semi-arid climates such as the Middle East and North Africa. Traditionally, this plant, especially the seeds, has been recognized for its several medicinal uses. In this stydy, genetic diversity between 21 Harmal accessions, collected from different regions of Iran were evaluated by Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) marker using 14 spesific primers. All primers successfully amplified polymorphism regions, as among 115 regions, 68 polymorphic regions (59.13%) were amplified. Accordingly, highest and lowest similarities among ecotypes were measured as 94% and 55%, respectively. The results based on cluster analysis also categorized all accessions into three groups that did not completely match to their geographic pattern place of collection. Result of principle coordinate analysis of samples also showed distribution pattern similar to cluster analysis.