Phylogenetic Determination of Chenopodium quinoa Based on the Chloroplast Genes rbcL and matK

Abstract

Chenopodium quinoa is an Andean species of great interest because of its excellent nutritional quality and great adaptability to diferent environmental conditions. In addition, the high phenotypic diversity has caused difculties in the correct taxonomic identifcation, and there are few studies on the phylogenetic relationships of quinoa in Colombia. Terefore, the objective of this research was to determine the phylogenetic relationships of quinoa with the matK and rcbL chloroplastid genes to characterize the genetic diversity in Colombian quinoa. Evolutionary analyses were performed using nucleotide substitution rates, pattern, base composition, and phylogeny construction. Te rbcL gene presented approximately 1344 bp, and matK had 646 bp, which were translated into 434 and 215 amino acids, respectively. Te nucleotide composition of the genes showed high percentages of similarity and identity with the Chenopodium quinoa sequences registered in GenBank and BOLD. Similar phylogenetic trees were obtained with the rbcL and matK genes, and both concatenated sequences grouped the accessions into clades. Te results showed that Colombian quinoa has low rates of genetic diferentiation that may be due to the domestication processes of the species, the lack of certifed seeds, and the constant exchange of seeds between farmers in the principal producing areas of the Andean region.