Genetic diversity of six Amorphophallus species in Southwest China based on cpDNA sequences

Investigating mechanisms underlying genetic variation and differentiation of wild resources is critical for the utilization and improvement of crop germplasms. Amorphophallus species is an important economic crop in Southwest China for its glucomannan production. However, the wild populations of this genus are declining due to human activities. To investigate the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship of representative Amorphophallus species in Southwest China, the phylogenetic relationships between species were reconducted by using three chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments and analyzing genetic diversity of six Amorphophallus species. The results were as follows: (1) The genetic diversity of wild Amorphophallus populations was generally low with an average haplotype diversity (Hd) of 0.428. In addition, nearly half of the total populations had only one haplotype. The haplotype diversity of each species varied from 0.704 to 0.983. (2) The genetic differentiation between each pair of six species was rel