Plant Biotechnology

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol. 10 No. 4, Issue of October 15, 2007
© 2007 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile Received February 26, 2007 / Accepted April 18, 2007
DOI: 10.2225/vol10-issue4-fulltext-4
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Inter simple sequence repeats separate efficiently hemp from marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.)

Erdogan E. Hakki*
Department of Field Crops
Faculty of Agriculture
Selcuk University
42079, Campus, Konya-Turkey
Tel: 90 332 223 28 63
Fax: 90 332 241 01 08
E-mail: eehakki@selcuk.edu.tr 

Seyit A. Kayis
Department of Animal Sciences
Biometry-Genetics Unit
Faculty of Agriculture
Selcuk University
42079, Campus, Konya-Turkey
Tel: 90 332 223 28 30
Fax: 90 332 241 01 08
E-mail: skayis@selcuk.edu.tr 

Emine Pinarkara
Department of Animal Sciences
Biometry-Genetics Unit
Faculty of Agriculture
Selcuk University
42079, Campus, Konya-Turkey
Tel: 90 332 223 28 11
Fax: 90 332 241 01 08
E-mail: eminepinarkara@hotmail.com 

Ayla Sag
Institute of Forensic Sciences
Istanbul University
Istanbul, Turkey
Adli Tip Kurumu, Cobancesme
Yeni Bosna, 34196
Istanbul, Turkey
Tel: 90 212 414 30 00
Fax: 90 212 588 00 11
E-mail: aylasag@yahoo.com

*Corresponding author

Financial support: Research grants from Turkish State Planning Organization (YUUP-DPT2004K120750) and The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK-Kariyer-104O547) and that of The Scientific Research Coordination Center of Selcuk University (BAP-06701059) are gratefully acknowledged.

Keywords: Cannabis sativa, cluster analysis, hemp, ISSR, marijuana, principle coordinate analysis.

Abbreviations:

CBD: Cannabidiol
EU: European Union
HPLC: High Performance Liquid Chromatography
ISSRs: Inter Simple Sequence Repeats
PCoA: Principal Coordinate Analysis
PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction
RAPD: Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA 
RFLP: Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism
THC: Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol
UPGMA: Unweighted Pair-group Method Using Arithmetic Average

Abstract
Full Text

Cannabis sativa L. is a multiple-use plant that provides raw material for the production of seed oil, natural fiber for textiles, automotive and pulp industries. It has also been used in insulating boards, ropes, varnishes, animal feed, and as medicinal agents. Cannabis has potential to be used for phytoremediation: however, its cultivation is strictly controlled due to its psychoactive nature and usage in producing drugs such as marijuana, and hashish. In this study, psychoactive type Cannabis samples, which were seized from 23 different locations of Turkey, and nine hemp type Cannabis accessions, as well as an unknown accession were used. Our interest was to identify the genetic relatedness of the seized samples and to separate drug and hemp type plants. Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSRs) were employed for analysis based on single plant material (SET1) and bulked samples of them (SET2). Data was analysed via cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). PCoA analyses, by using SET1 and SET2, were able to efficiently discriminate the seized samples from the fiber type accessions. However, separation of the plants was not clear via unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic average (UPGMA) dendogram in SET1, while they were clearly separated in SET2. Hemp type accessions showed high levels of variation compared to drug type Cannabis both in SET1 and SET2.

Supported by UNESCO / MIRCEN network