Highly divergent regions in the complete plastome sequences of Aquilaria are suitable for DNA barcoding applications including identifying species origin of agarwood products.

ABSTRACT: Members of Aquilaria Lam. (Thymelaeaceae) are evergreen trees that are widely distributed in the Indomalesia region. Aquilaria is highly prized for its unique scented resin, agarwood, which is often the subject of unlawful trade activities. Survival of the tree is heavily threatened by destructive harvesting and agarwood poaching, leading to its protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Unfortunately, an efficient species identification method, which is crucial to aid in the conservation efforts of Aquilaria is lacking. Here, we described our search for a suitable specific DNA barcode for Aquilaria species using eight complete plastome sequences. We identified five highly variable regions (HVR)

SUBMITTER: Hishamuddin MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9902582 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature