Kirti Rai

The study conducted on four populations of P. kesiya using cpSSR markers reported that the overall genetic diversity was higher (HT=0.547) as compared to within population genetic diversity (HS=0.285). Gene flow estimate was found to be relatively low (Nm=0.543). The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed 51.09% of the variation to be within population and 48.91% of the variation to be among populations. UPGMA clustering segregated the populations into a single cluster and the identity matrix showed that the population from Jowai was genetically distinct and requires special attention. The study highlighted sufficient levels of genetic variation among the populations of this region which should be conserved. Information obtained from this study can be useful in setting up proper management strategies for the conservation of P. kesiya forest in Northeast India.

The study conducted on four populations of P. kesiya using cpSSR markers reported that the overall genetic diversity was higher (HT=0.547) as compared to within population genetic diversity (HS=0.285). Gene flow estimate was found to be relatively low (Nm=0.543). The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed 51.09% of the variation to be within population and 48.91% of the variation to be among populations. UPGMA clustering segregated the populations into a single cluster and the identity matrix showed that the population from Jowai was genetically distinct and requires special attention. The study highlighted sufficient levels of genetic variation among the populations of this region which should be conserved. Information obtained from this study can be useful in setting up proper management strategies for the conservation of P. kesiya forest in Northeast India.

De novo primer development is cost intensive and time-consuming, therefore using primers developed for other species on the target species is a more preferred alternative. In the present study, a total of 47 primer pairs from P. taeda, P. merkusii, P. resinosa and P. densiflora were used for trans-specific amplification of P. kesiya. It was observed that only 5 (10.6%) primer pairs out of 47 transferred in P. kesiya which may be due to the phylogenetic distance of the target species from the source species. The expected heterozygosity (HE) ranged from 0.490 to 0.603 with a mean of 0.540 and the observed heterozygosity (HO) ranged from 0.044 to 0.819 with a mean of 0.342. The study has shown that the nuclear SSR markers can be utilized for estimating the genetic structure of P. kesiya populations. Results of the present work will go a long way in implementing proper strategies for the better management and conservation of P. kesiya forests and initiating tree improvement programmes i...

Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara) is one of the most important temperate timber species of Western Himalayas and is considered to be among the endangered conifer species in the region. Knowledge of genetic diversity and population structure will help guide gene conservation strategies for this species. Ten polymorphic chloroplast microsatellites (cpSSR) were used to study genetic diversity and population structure in twenty one natural populations of C. deodara throughout its entire distribution range in Western Himalayas. When alleles at each of the 10 loci were jointly analysed, 254 different haplotypes were identified among 1050 individuals. The cpSSRs indicate that C. deodara forests maintain a moderately high level of genetic diversity (mean h = 0.79 ). AMOVA analysis showed that most of the diversity in C. deodara occurs within populations. Bayesian analysis for population structure (BAPS) revealed spatial structuration of the variation (22 % of the total variation) and substru...