Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

Phylogenetic analysis of Prunus (Rosaceae) from Northeast India based on ribosomal ITS sequence data

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.7826
Submitted
19 February 2025
Published
09-09-2025
Versions

Abstract

Prunus L., a diverse genus in the family Rosaceae, includes several economically significant species like apricot, almond, peach, plum and nectarines. The aim of the study is to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of Prunus species collected from Northeast India. Molecular phylogenetic analysis was conducted using Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequences. A total of 32 accessions were analyzed in this study, comprising six voucher specimen of Prunus cerasoides and a single accession representing each of Prunus campanulata, Prunus napaulensis and Prunus domestica, along with 22 other specimens representing five subgenera according to Rehder and outgroup Pyrus communis (pear), was included from GenBank for comparative purposes. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using a combination of Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference methods. The results revealed two distinct major clades: one comprising Cerasus, Padus and Laurocerasus and the other consisting of Prunus and Amygdalus, reflecting evolutionary divergence within the genus. This study provides phylogenetic analysis of Prunus species from the Northeast India region and the ITS sequence data will be helpful in future taxonomic and evolutionary studies as it adds up to the already available resources and enhancing the genetic resource base. The findings also contribute to the broader understanding of the evolutionary history of Prunus species in the region.

References

  1. 1. Joseph N, Anjum N, Tripathi YC. Prunus cerasoides D. Don: A review on its ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology. Int J Pharm Sci Rev Res. 2018;48(1):62-9.
  2. 2. Wang JR, Wang X, Su N, Li QJ, Zhang XH, Ma YP, Zhao L, et al. Floral morphology and morphogenesis in Sanguisorba (Rosaceae): flower diversification despite petal reduction and spatial constraints. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 2020;193(1):47-63. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boaa009
  3. 3. Lingdi L, Cuizhi G, Chaoluan L, Alexander C, Bartholomew B, Brach AR, et al. Rosaceae. Flora of China. 2003;9:46-34.
  4. 4. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (India). The Wealth of India: Raw Materials. New Delhi: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research; 1959.
  5. 5. Dirlewanger E, Quero-Garcia J, Le Dantec L, Lambert P, Ruiz D, Dondini L, et al. Comparison of the genetic determinism of two key phenological traits, flowering and maturity dates, in three Prunus species: peach, apricot and sweet cherry. Heredity. 2012;109(5):280-92. https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.2012.38
  6. 6. Ghora C, Panigrahi G. Fascicles of flora of India. Rosaceae: Genus Prunus. Calcutta: Botanical Survey of India; 1984. (18):1-44.
  7. 7. Santapau H, Henry AN. A dictionary of the flowering plants in India.
  8. 8. Sharma JK. Behmi-a wild fruit from Himalayan cold desert region. J Am Pomol Soc. 2000;54(1):27-8.
  9. 9. Sharma JK. Morphological studies on apricot and its wild relatives. J Hill Res. 2000;13(1):5-10.
  10. 10. Pandey A, Nayar ER, Venkateswaran K, Bhandari DC. Genetic resources of Prunus (Rosaceae) in India. Genet Resour Crop Evol. 2008;55:91-104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-007-9217-6
  11. 11. Rana JC, Dutta M, Rathi RS. Plant genetic resources of the Indian Himalayan region-an overview. Indian J Genet Plant Breed. 2012;72(2):115-29.
  12. 12. Baldwin BG, Sanderson MJ, Porter JM, Wojciechowski MF, Campbell CS, Donoghue MJ. The ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA: a valuable source of evidence on angiosperm phylogeny. Ann Mo Bot Gard. 1995;82(2):247-77. https://doi.org/10.2307/2399880
  13. 13. Alice LA, Campbell CS. Phylogeny of Rubus (Rosaceae) based on nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region sequences. Am J Bot. 1999;86(1):81-97. https://doi.org/10.2307/2656957
  14. 14. Kress WJ, Wurdack KJ, Zimmer EA, Weigt LA, Janzen DH. Use of DNA barcodes to identify flowering plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005;102(23):8369-74. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0503123102
  15. 15. Badenes ML, Parfitt DE. Phylogenetic relationships of cultivated Prunus species from an analysis of chloroplast DNA variation. Theor Appl Genet. 1995;90:1035-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00222920
  16. 16. Mowrey BD, Werner DJ. Phylogenetic relationships among species of Prunus as inferred by isozyme markers. Theor Appl Genet. 1990;80:129-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00209378
  17. 17. White TJ, Bruns T, Lee SJ, Taylor J. Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics. PCR Protocols. 1990;18(1):315-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-372180-8.50042-1
  18. 18. Kumar S, Stecher G, Li M, Knyaz C, Tamura K. MEGA X: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis across computing platforms. Mol Biol Evol. 2018;35(6):1547-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy096
  19. 19. Lee S, Wen J. A phylogenetic analysis of Prunus and the Amygdaloideae (Rosaceae) using ITS sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Am J Bot. 2001;88(1):150-60. https://doi.org/10.2307/2657135
  20. 20. Huelsenbeck JP, Ronquist F. MRBAYES: Bayesian inference of phylogenetic trees. Bioinformatics. 2001;17(8):754-5. https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/17.8.754
  21. 21. Felsenstein J. Evolutionary trees from DNA sequences: a maximum likelihood approach. J Mol Evol. 1981;17:368-76. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01734359
  22. 22. Fumio TA. Statistical analysis of DNA polymorphism. Jpn J Genet. 1993;68(6):567-95. https://doi.org/10.1266/jjg.68.567
  23. 23. Sun YL, Park WG, Oh HK, Hong SK. Genetic diversity and hybridization of Pulsatilla tongkangensis based on the nrDNA ITS region sequence. Biologia. 2014;69:24-31. https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-013-0290-7
  24. 24. China Plant BOL Group 1, Li DZ, Gao LM, Li HT, Wang H, Ge XJ, et al. Comparative analysis of a large dataset indicates that internal transcribed spacer (ITS) should be incorporated into the core barcode for seed plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011;108(49):19641-6. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1104551108
  25. 25. Bortiri E, Oh SH, Jiang UO, Baggett S, Granger A, Weeks C, et al. Phylogeny and systematics of Prunus (Rosaceae) as determined by sequence analysis of ITS and the chloroplast trnL-trnF spacer DNA. Syst Bot. 2001;26(4):797-807. https://doi.org/10.2307/3094183
  26. 26. Jun WE, Berggren ST, Ickert-Bond S, Yi TS, Yo KO, Xi L, et al. Phylogenetic inferences in Prunus (Rosaceae) using chloroplast ndhF and nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences. J Syst Evol. 2008;46(3):322-32. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1002.2008.08045

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.