Analysis of genetic diversity and population Structure of Gleditsia sinensis based on SLAF-Seq

Gleditsia sinensis Lam. has significant medicinal and economic value. By utilizing SLAF-Seq technology, we developed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to analyze the genetic diversity of this species, providing a basis for the conservation and utilization of germplasm resources. In this study, we conducted SNP marker development on 159 G. sinensis samples from Guizhou Province, identifying a total of 132,709 population SNPs. The number of SNPs per sample ranged from 27,292 to 76,870, with heterozygosity rates ranging from 4.17–15.92%. The analysis of population genetic structure indicated that these 159 G. sinensis samples could be divided into five groups. The genetic distances among samples from the same provenance were close, while gene flow was observed among germplasm resources from different geographical populations. The nucleotide diversity level of population Q5 was relatively high, and the Tajima’s D test suggested that rare alleles were scarce within the populations, with the majority of genes being neutral, indicating a state of equilibrium. This study provides fundamental data for the collection of G. sinensis germplasm resources and the breeding of superior varieties.