RESEARCH ARTICLE Conservation genetics of Sinai’s remnant populations of Moringa peregrina, an economically valuable medicinal plant M. S. Zaghloul • J. L. Hamrick • A. A. Moustafa Received: 18 October 2010 / Accepted: 21 July 2011 / Published online: 17 August 2011 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 Abstract Moringa peregrina is an economically valuable tree of Egyptian deserts. It is used medicinally, provides a highly nutritious supplement to Bedouin diets, provides fodder for livestock, and is used for fire wood. M. pere- grina seeds have been a source of high-quality oil for cosmetics and perfumes since antiquity. Due to unmanaged grazing and over-collection, M. peregrina has become one of the most endangered tree species in the Egyptian desert ecosystem. A long-term conservation program is urgently needed to maintain or increase the number and size of M. peregrina populations. Ten populations harboring a total of 130 adult M. peregrina were sampled from three disjunct Wadis in South Sinai (W. Me’ar, W. Fieran and W. Zaghra). Open-pollinated seedlings were electropho- retically analyzed to address two basic questions: (1) how is genetic diversity distributed within and among popula- tions within these three Wadis; and (2) what is the mating system of this species. M. peregrina has a mixed mating system with a selfing rate up to 16% and has limited genetic diversity within and significant genetic differenti- ation among its populations, the majority of which occurs among Wadis. Direct protection is urgently needed to decrease genetic deterioration within M. peregrina popu- lations and to improve their ability to maintain or improve their population numbers. The priority of in situ conser- vation should be to conserve a few large well-distributed populations representing different Wadis. Ex situ germ- plasm collections should be made across the species’ range to ensure a representative sample of its genetic variation. Seed orchards designed to maximize cross-fertilization among unrelated individuals should be established to generate propagules to supplement natural populations. Keywords Sinai Á Moringa peregrina Á Conservation Á Genetic diversity Á Mating system Á Medicinal plants Introduction Moringa peregrina (Forssk.) Fiori is one of the most eco- nomically important medicinal plants in Egyptian markets (Abd El-Wahab et al. 2004). It is a small, fast-growing tree, 5-15 m high, with grayish-green bark, long leaves, and bisexual yellowish white to pink, showy, fragrant flowers (Ta ¨ckholm 1974; Boulos 1999). It belongs to a monogen- eric family of shrubs and trees, the Moringaceae, which has 13 species throughout the dry tropics (Ramachandran et al. 1980; Somali et al. 1984). This genus has a wide variety of life forms ranging from massive bottle trees in Madagascar and Africa, to slender trees in Saudi Arabia and India, to shrublets with ephemeral shoots and underground tubers in Northeast Africa (Olson 2001, 2002). M. peregrina leaves and pods have high nutritional value for humans and livestock. It is a good source of vitamins A, C, and B, minerals, and calcium (Price 2000). Its leaves are an excellent source of protein and are very low in fat and carbohydrates (Al Kahtani and Abu Arab 1993). While its leaves are incomparable as a source of the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine, M. S. Zaghloul (&) Á A. A. Moustafa Botany Department, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt e-mail: Zaghloul_mohamed@yahoo.com J. L. Hamrick Plant Biology Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA 123 Conserv Genet (2012) 13:9–19 DOI 10.1007/s10592-011-0260-7