Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Application of DNA Barcoding to Identify Medicinal Plants
Published on: November 1, 2024
Potential use of DNA barcoding for the identification of Salvia based on cpDNA and nrDNA sequences
Meng Wang1, Hong-Xia Zhao, Long Wang
1College of Life and Basic Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan 625014, China.
Abstract:
An effective DNA marker for authenticating the genus Salvia was screened using seven DNA regions (rbcL, matK, trnL-F, and psbA-trnH from the chloroplast genome, and ITS, ITS1, and ITS2 from the nuclear genome) and three combinations (rbcL+matK, psbA-trnH+ITS1, and trnL-F+ITS1). The present study collected 232 sequences from 27 Salvia species through DNA sequencing and 77 sequences within the same taxa from the GenBank. The discriminatory capabilities of these regions were evaluated in terms of PCR amplification success, intraspecific and interspecific divergence, DNA barcoding gaps, and identification efficiency via a tree-based method. ITS1 was superior to the other marker for discriminating between species, with an accuracy of 81.48%. The three combinations did not increase species discrimination. Finally, we found that ITS1 is a powerful barcode for identifying Salvia species, especially Salvia miltiorrhiza.
Related Concept Videos
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Sanger Sequencing
Modern Molecular Taxonomy
RNA-seq
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while microarray-based...
DNA Isolation
Applications of Molecular Taxonomy

