Characterization of Morphological, Phytochemical and Molecular Diversity of Artemisia annua Accessions in Hyrcanian Area of Iran

Artemisia annua L. is an important medicinal plant used as an original source of artemisinin for treating malaria. Although there is a wide distribution of A. annua in Hyrcanian Areas (Mazandaran, Guilan, and Golestan Provinces in N Iran), no considerable effort has been made for diversity assessment. In this study, morphological, phytochemical, and molecular characterization of A. annua accessions in this area were assessed using 4 quantitative characteristics (height, fresh weight, dry weight, and trichome density), artemisinin content, and 15 ISSR primers. Using these traits, a high level of morphological, phytochemical and molecular diversity was revealed among A. annua accessions in the provinces (populations) of Hyrcanian Areas. At inter-population level, the highest value of artemisinin was observed in Mazandaran Province. Moreover, significant correlation between artemisinin content and trichome density was observed that could be useful for indirect selection of artemisinin yield in different accessions of A. annua. In addition, fifteen ISSR primers generated a total number of 222 amplified bands, consisting of 177 and 45 polymorphic and monomorphic loci across the 60 accessions, respectively. These results indicate that ISSR-PCR is a reliable tool for fingerprinting A. annua at the intra-population level. Our results altogether are valid contributions for gene bank management and Artemisia annua breeding programs.