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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.

Sec. Plant Breeding

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1634581

Genetic diversity and population structure of Kudouzi (Sophora alopecuroides) in Northwest China revealed by SNP markers and seed phenotypic traits

Provisionally accepted
Cunkai LuoCunkai Luo1,2Fanyan MaFanyan Ma1,2Panxin NiuPanxin Niu1Zhao ZhangZhao Zhang3Weiting ChenWeiting Chen1Ping JiangPing Jiang1Mei WangMei Wang1,2*Guangming ChuGuangming Chu1,2*Xiang HuangXiang Huang1,2*
  • 1College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China
  • 2Xinjiang Yuli National Positioning Observation and Research Station for Desert Ecosystems, Yuli, China
  • 3Bozhou Water Conservancy Irrigation Test Station, Bole, China

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Sophora alopecuroides L., a perennial leguminous herb native to northwest China, holds medicinal, ecological, and forage value. However, intensified human activities have caused a sharp decline in its wild populations and genetic diversity. To assess its genetic structure and diversity, we analyzed 65 wild populations using SNP markers and seed phenotypic traits. The coefficient of variation for eight seed traits ranged from 2.87% to 7.94%, with diversity indices (H) from 1.639 to 1.767, indicating rich phenotypic variation. Clustering based on phenotypic traits and SNP data both divided populations into two main groups. Genetic diversity was relatively low (He = 0.22; Ho = 0.17; Pi = 0.19), and AMOVA showed that variation was mainly among individuals (132.83%), with low population differentiation (FST = 0.00-0.04). Redundancy analysis revealed that phenotypic traits were largely influenced by mean temperature of the driest quarter and annual wind speed, while genetic diversity was shaped by precipitation and thermal variables. Our results provide a foundation for understanding the genetic variation of S. alopecuroides, offering valuable insights for its conservation and breeding programs.

Keywords: Sophora alopecuroides, Single nucleotide polymorphism, genetic diversity, seed phenotypic traits, population structure, Redundancy analysis

Received: 24 May 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Luo, Ma, Niu, Zhang, Chen, Jiang, Wang, Chu and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Mei Wang, College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China
Guangming Chu, College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China
Xiang Huang, College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material