Molecular identification of the Korean ginseng cultivar “Chunpoong” using the mitochondrial nad7 intron 4 region

Abstract

Background and aims. Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) is one of the most important medicinal plants in the Orient. Among the nine cultivars of Korean ginseng, “Chunpoong” commands a much greater market value and has been planted widely.

Materials and methods. A rapid and reliable method for discriminating the Chunpoong cultivar was developed by exploiting a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the mitochondrial nad7 intron 4 region of nine Korean ginseng cultivars using universal primers.

Results. A SNP was detected between Chunpoong and other cultivars, and modified allele-specific primers were designed from this SNP site to specifically identify Chunpoong cultivar via multiplex PCR.

Conclusion. We therefore present an effective method for the genetic identification of the Chunpoong cultivar of ginseng.

• Panax ginseng
• Chunpoong cultivar
• nad7 intron
• single nucleotide polymorphism
• multiplex PCR