Assessment of Genetic Diversity and Population Genetic Structure of Santalum album L. in India by Genic and Genomic SSR markers

Abstract Sandalwood ( Santalum album L.) is highly valued aromatic tropical tree. It is known for its high quality heartwood and oil. In this study, 39 genic and genomic SSR markers were used to analyze the genetic diversity and population structure of 177 S. album accessions from 14 populations of three states in India. High genetic diversity was observed in terms of number of alleles 127, expected heterozygosity (He) ranged from 0.63-0.87 and the average PIC was 0.85. The selected population had relatively high genetic diversity with Shannon’s information index (I) >1.0. 0.02 mean coefficient of genetic differentiation (F ST ) and 10.55 gene flow were observed. AMOVA revealed that 92% of the variation observed within individuals. Based on cluster and Structure result, individuals were not clustered as per their geographical origin. Furthermore the clusters were clearly distinguished by principal component analysis analysis and the result revealed that PC1 reflected the moderate contribution in genetic variation (6%) followed by PC2 (5.5%). From this study, high genetic diversity and genetic differentiation was found in S. album populations. The genetic diversity information of S. album populations can be used for selection of superior genotypes and germplasm conservation to promote the tree improvement of S. album populations.