Premise of the study: Microsatellite primers were developed in the Chinese endangered and endemic orchid, Cymbidium tortisepalum, to investigate its genetic diversity and population genetic structure, and to identify its varieties.
Methods and results: Using the Fast Isolation by AFLP of Sequences Containing repeats (FIASCO) protocol, 15 primer sets were identified in two wild populations. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to six, with a mean of 3.5. The observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.250 to 0.917 and from 0.228 to 0.841, respectively. All of these primers successfully amplified in the congener C. goeringii, and 12 were found useful in C. faberi and C. sinense.
Conclusions: These markers will facilitate further studies on the population genetics and molecular identification of C. tortisepalum, its varieties, and other congener species.