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Delimitation of Amaranthus cruentus L. and Amaranthus caudatus L. using micromorphology and AFLP analysis: an application in germplasm identification

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Abstract

The ‘Morelos’ accessions of Amaranthus from Mexico demonstrate taxonomic ambiguity at the basic morphologic level. The main cause is the enormous morphological and genetic variation exhibited by the species in the genus. Although basic morphological criteria can be applied to herbarium specimens or germplasm collections for quick taxonomic identification, the morphological data alone can be misleading. To ascertain the taxonomic identity of the ‘Morelos’ accessions and their hypothesized species affiliation to Amaranthus caudatus or Amaranthus cruentus, we conducted a comparative analysis of phylogenetic relationships among these taxa/accessions using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and micromorphology methods. Based on AFLP data, all the controversial ‘Morelos’ accessions can be consistently placed into a single A. cruentus species clade, which is clearly separated from the A. caudatus species clade. The AFLP-based phylogenetic relationship of ‘Morelos’ and delimitation of A. cruentus and A. caudatus are further supported by micromorphology, showing that the combination of these techniques can provide more reliable data for germplasm identification than each method used alone.

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Abbreviations

AFLP:

amplified fragment-length polymorphism

RAPD:

randomly amplified polymorphic DNA

RFLP:

restriction fragment length polymorphism

SEM:

scanning electron microscopy

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L3C5, Canada

    M. Costea

  2. Department of Agronomy, Plant Introduction Station, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011-1170, USA

    D. M. Brenner

  3. Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, N1G2W1, Guelph, ON, Canada

    F. J. Tardif

  4. Departments of Botany and Zoology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Y. F. Tan & M. Sun

Authors
  1. M. Costea
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  2. D. M. Brenner
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  3. F. J. Tardif
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  4. Y. F. Tan
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  5. M. Sun
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Correspondence to M. Costea.

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Costea, M., Brenner, D.M., Tardif, F.J. et al. Delimitation of Amaranthus cruentus L. and Amaranthus caudatus L. using micromorphology and AFLP analysis: an application in germplasm identification. Genet Resour Crop Evol 53, 1625–1633 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-005-2288-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-005-2288-3

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