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Copyright (c) 2025 Abdulaziz Albogami
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The undersigned hereby assign all rights, included but not limited to copyright, for this manuscript to CMB Association upon its submission for consideration to publication on Cellular and Molecular Biology. The rights assigned include, but are not limited to, the sole and exclusive rights to license, sell, subsequently assign, derive, distribute, display and reproduce this manuscript, in whole or in part, in any format, electronic or otherwise, including those in existence at the time this agreement was signed. The authors hereby warrant that they have not granted or assigned, and shall not grant or assign, the aforementioned rights to any other person, firm, organization, or other entity. All rights are automatically restored to authors if this manuscript is not accepted for publication.Genetic diversity and phylogenetic structure of Marawh and Bidah pomegranate landraces from Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia, using ITS DNA barcoding
Corresponding Author(s) : Abdulaziz Albogami
Cellular and Molecular Biology,
Vol. 71 No. 10: Issue 10
Abstract
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) plays a vital cultural and economic role in the Al-Baha region of Saudi Arabia. Despite its significance, limited molecular data exist on the genetic structure of local landraces, particularly the distinct red and green fruit colour variants of the Marawh and Bidah cultivars. This study investigates the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships among these landraces using the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) DNA region. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree construction and network analysis (SplitsTree) were employed. Results reveal that red- and green-fruited landraces cluster into distinct clades, with red variants exhibiting reticulate patterns suggestive of introgression or incomplete lineage sorting. Genetic distance analysis confirmed a high similarity (~99.15%) between the green variants, despite their placement in separate clades. The findings provide crucial insights into the evolutionary history, cultivar authentication, and conservation strategies for pomegranate germplasm in Al-Baha. Future directions include genome-wide SNP analyses and expanded sampling to refine our understanding of these valuable genetic resources.
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