Planta Med 2011; 77 - PE13
DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1282344

Classification of 63 Origanum taxa based on microsatellite markers and essential oil composition

S Elmasulu 1, M Kürkçüoğlu 2, AG Ince 1, M Karaca 1, A Çınar 1, A Onus 1, KHC Başer 2, 3, K Turgut 1
  • 1Akdeniz University, Faculty of Agriculture, 07059 Antalya, Turkey
  • 2Anadolu University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, 26470 Eskisehir, Turkey
  • 3King Saud University, College of Science, Botany and Microbiology Department, 11451 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

A large number of aromatic plant species naturally grown in the Mediterranean basin of Turkey contain and produce essential oil [1]. In this study 63 taxa of eight Origanum species grown in the Mediterranean region of Antalya, Turkey were DNA typed using microsatellite markers, and oil compositions of these taxa were determined using method described in [2,3,4,5]. All the 8 Origanum species were separated from one another according to classical taxonomic groups using DNA markers. Individuals of two O. vulgare L. subsp. hirtum (Link) Ietsw., two O. majorana L., two O. solymicum P.H.Davis and two O. saccatum P.H.Davis taxa could not be differentiated in the DNA typing studies. There were high level of similarities between a dendrogram obtained from DNA markers and oil composition types among the taxa studied. O. bilgeri P.H.Davis consisted of two chemotypes (caryophyllene oxide and alpha-thujene) and they were clearly separated by DNA analyses. O. husnucanbaseri H.Duman, Aytaç et A.Duran was also separated from other species and it was the only species containing trans-sabinene hydrate. Taxa collected from Elmali location of O. onites L. were linalool types and they were distinctly separated from other individuals within the species. O. majorana consisted of two chemotypes (carvacrol and linalool). In conclusion, present study indicated that chemotypes could be identified using DNA markers. Thus, DNA markers developed in this study could be used in the identification of species in herbal mixtures, selecting the individual plant for desired oil compositions and the most importantly these DNA markers are valuable in Origanum improvement programs.

Acknowledgement: This work was supported in part by the Scientific and Technological Research Council and The Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Akdeniz University.

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