Why analyses of genetic variation in natural populations of medicinal plant species are an important component of their future utilization?

Why analyses of genetic variation in natural populations of medicinal plant species are an important component of their future utilization?

Oral presentation

Galya Petrova1, Sonya Velkova1, Bilyana Mileva1, Stefan Petrov2
1Department of Natural Sciences, New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria
2Institute of Molecular Biology “Roumen Tsanev”, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

The chemical interaction between plants and their environment is mediated mainly by the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and often includes variation in their production levels. Specimens of same plant species growing under different environmental conditions exhibit significant differences in the synthesis of primary and secondary metabolites. In most cases, the natural populations of medicinal plants are extensively exploited due to their heavy demands. Thus, their long-term survival depends on the maintenance of sufficient genetic variability. Therefore, the knowledge and understanding of the patterns of genetic variation within and among populations of medicinal plants is essential for planning future management strategies for their conservation and sustainable utilization of their genetic resources, as well as for bioprospecting for new sources of value for pharmaceutical research projects. The aim of the study is to present our case studies and modern trends in the genetic diversity assessments of medicinal plant species. Such studies, when performed hand in hand with metabolite profiling, would be quite helpful for identification of elite population of given species endowed with maximum content of active constituents.
Keywords: genetic diversity, secondary metabolites, pharmacy