Flow Cytometric Determination on Genome Size of Ardisia crenata Germplasms

  Objective  Genome sizes of the economically, medicinally, and ornamentally valuable Ardisia crenata were determined using flow cytometry.

  Methods   Genome sizes of 22 selectively bred cultivars and two wild A. crenata germplasms, along with Lycopersicon esculentum as internal reference, were determined by flow cytometry.

  Results  The sizes ranged from 1.77 Gb to 2.41 Gb averaging 1.87 Gb with the smallest C-value of 1.77 Gb found on Agate Red (Z-17), Kasumi Pearl (Z-20), and Zhu Ta (Z-22), while the largest of 2.41 Gb on Chidan. Variations existed among the germplasms.

  Conclusion   For the first time, the genome sizes of various A. crenata were determined to be available for library construction and genomics studies on the valuable natural resource.