Genetic diversity of rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia for plus trees selection

Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia Roxb.) or sonokeling is an important woody plant species with a high selling value. However, due to overexploitation, this species has been listed in Appendix II of CITES and its trade is strictly regulated. Therefore, the cultivation of this plant needs encouragement, and superior planting materials from selected plus trees are needed. This study aimed to examine the genetic diversity of the rosewood population and select plus trees in Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia. The plus tree selection was performed by comparing plus tree candidates with five other trees nearby in four districts, i.e. Bantul, Gunungkidul, Kulon Progo, and Sleman. As many as 61 plus tree candidates have been identified. Genetic diversity was assessed using 10 selected ISSR primers, resulting in 101 ISSR loci with average Polymorphic Loci values ??of 64.71% and Nei Heterozygosity of 0.23. The highest gene diversity (He=0.29) was found in the Kulon Progo population, and the lowest He=0.17 was in the Bantul population. The dendogram and PCA analysis put Gunungkidul and Bantul populations into one group, separated from the Sleman and Kulon Progo populations. Based on morphological and molecular analysis, six superior plus trees were obtained.