Cytogenetic Diversity of Ferula assa-foetida L. populations from Fars Province

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Horticultural Sciences, University Campus, Guilan University, Rasht, Iran; Research Institute of Forests and Rangeland, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

3 Research Institute of Forests and Rangeland, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Ferula assa-foetida is one of the most important medicinal, rangeland and industrial plants that, in addition to its role in soil protection, produces oleo-gum with high medicinal and industrial value. The present study aimed to evaluate karyotypic variation and cytogenetic diversity among natural populations of F. assa-foetida. For karyological analysis, eight populations of F. assa-foetida were collected from Fars Province, Iran. The results showed that all populations were diploid (2n = 2x = 22), with a basic chromosomes number of x = 11. Despite the uniform chromosome number, significant differences were observed among populations in terms of karyotypic and chromosomal characteristics. Regarding chromosome length (CL), long arm length (L) and short arm length (S) populations F5 exhibited the largest chromosomes with the highest mean values, whereas population F2 showed the smallest chromosomes with the lowest mean values. Based on intrachromosomal asymmetry parameters, F5 displayed the most asymmetric karyotype with the highest mean A1 and the lowest TF% values, while F7 showed the most symmetric karyotype with the lowest mean A1 and the highest TF% values. In terms of interchromosomal asymmetry indices, the highest mean values of A2 and DRL were observed in F7, whereas the lowest values were recorded in F2. Most karyotypes were relatively symmetrical and classified within the 1A and 2A categories of Stebbins’ classification. Principal component analysis revealed that the first two components explained more than 96.3% of the total variation among populations. The first component was mainly associated with intrachromosomal symmetry parameters, whereas the second component was related to chromosome size and interchromosomal symmetry. Cluster analysis using the UPGMA method grouped the studied populations into two distinct clusters, indicating the presence of cytogenetic differentiation among populations. These results highlight that structural chromosomal variation, rather than changes in chromosome number, plays an important role in population differentiation of F. assa-foetida.

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References

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Journal of Medicinal plants and By-products
Volume 15, Issue 6
November and December 2026
Pages 659-663

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