Annals of Plant Sciences ISSN: 2287-688X Original Research Article *Corresponding Author: Dr.Vidhu Sankar Babu, Division of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka, 576 104, India. Page| 524 Low Intraspecific Diversity Suggesting Genetic Drift in Gloriosa superba L. (Liliaceae) in Konkan Coast of Karnataka, India Vidhu Sankar Babu * , Deepika K Pai, Tanveer Shaik, Annamalai Muthusamy and K Satyamoorthy Division of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka, 576 104, India. Received for publication: November 11, 2013; Accepted: November 25, 2013. Introduction Gloriosa superba L. (Liliaceae) is a weak stemmed climber with tuberous roots rich in alkaloids primarily colchicine and its derivatives which is used for the treatment of gouty arthritis. The genus bears perplexing taxonomy owing to ploidy variations. About 27 species were recognized in this genus which posed difficulty in species identification (Tarar and Viswakarma, 1995). Renewed interest in this plant is due to its high colchicine content after Colchicum autumnale and Iphigenia spp. Its vegetative propagation is brought about by cultivating tubers which sprout during rainy season. Plants propagated from seeds take three to four years to bloom, whereas from tubers it is faster (5-8 weeks). Flowers undergo both self and cross pollination. An average of six flowers develops on a branch which opens in sequential manner (Gupta and Raina, 2001). The population of Gloriosa species is gradually diminishing in Udupi district of Karnataka, because of its wide use for the alkaloid extraction, apart from its low seed set in nature. The study of Ghosh et al., (2008) is the only report on polymorphism studies in India. Ghosh et al., (2008) identified population variations in the plant collected from five regions in North East India (Amtala, Baruipur, Siliguri, Darjeeling and Sikkim). The variations were detected based on the RAPD analysis alone which exhibited 76% polymorphism between populations. Identification of polymorphisms in this plant is relevant as it will suggest whether the plant is threatened due to heavy destruction. Bhat (2003) has reported that ‘superba’ is the only species of genus Gloriosa found in Udupi district of Karnataka. RAPD fingerprinting is an ideal tool to detect existing variations within and between the plants (Hadrys et al., 1992; Lynch and Milligan, 1994; Rieseberg and Swensen, 1996). High reproducibility and high frequency of identifiable polymorphisms make AFLP analysis an authentic and sensitive technique for evaluating individuals from a segregating population (Lin et al., 1996). The objective of the study is to examine genetic variations if any, within local Gloriosa populations collected from various locations of Udupi district, Karnataka, India. Materials and Methods Plant Materials: G. superba were collected from five different locations from Udupi district of Karnataka, India (Table 1). Plants collected from the same sites were 200 m apart. Species identification was done with the help of floristic work and also with the help of a taxonomist. We found that the populations of G. superba were quite scattered and scant. The plant accessions used for the study were maintained at green Abstract: The population of Gloriosa species is gradually diminishing in Udupi district of Karnataka, due to their over exploitation for colchicine-the therapeutic alkaloid. The scattered and scant occurrence of this genus is further attributed to their seasonal and truncated seed set in nature. The present study is the first report on polymorphism studies in this plant using AFLP, the dominant molecular marker. Genetic distance based on the AFLP data could authenticate, low intraspecific diversity more efficiently than RAPD. This genetic similarity identified could be correlated with collection sites and altitude. 2C DNA values of the collected accessions ranged between 5.24 and 5.81 pg, when determined by flow cytometer. The study indicated that the genetically isolated smaller population of G. superba is experiencing genetic drift within the Udupi district of Karnataka, India and hence must be subjected to suitable conservation measures. Keywords: AFLP, Flow cytometer, Gloriosa superba, intraspecific diversity, Nuclear DNA content, RAPD