The effects of different host plants on thecomponents and DNA of the herbalplants of Cuscuta

摘要

Cuscuta chinensis Lam. is parasitic plant, and the seed of it is the kidney tonifyingand yang-boosting Chinese herb. The herbal quality is affected by the wide varietyof its host plants. In this research, HPLC, UV measurements methods were used toidentify the chemical components and RAPD method was used to analyze theDNA of the C. chinensis grown on different host plants to investigate the effects ofthe host plants. The results showed that the total flavonoids of C. chinensis arehigher than that of C. australis, and the total flavonoids of the above two plantsbeing parasitic on Glycine max, Scutellaria baicalensis, and Phaseolus radiatusare higher. The RAPD analysis showed that the four kind species of Cuscuta canbe identified, with the Subg. Grammica of C. chinensis and the C. australis havingthe same three bands of 1.3, 1.45, and 1.53 kb, and Subg. Monogyna of C.japonica and C. lupulifonnis having a band of 1.48 kb. Plants of the samesubgenus have similar band patterns in RAPD analyses, showing close geneticrelationship. The RAPD analyses showed the polymorphism of the Cuscutaspecies DNA being parasitic on different host plants. In conclusion, the host plantsaffect the genomics and the chemical components and contents of Cuscuta species.