Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of ‘Quanhong poplar’ (Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Humphry Marshall, 2011)

TL;DR

This study sequenced and analyzed the complete chloroplast genome of the rare red-leaf poplar cultivar 'Quanhong poplar' to understand its genetic makeup and phylogenetic relationships.

Contribution

The paper provides the first complete chloroplast genome assembly for 'Quanhong poplar' and identifies genetic differences compared to other Populus deltoides strains.

Findings

The chloroplast genome of 'Quanhong poplar' is 156,950 bp in size with specific structural regions and gene content.

Three SNP sites were identified between 'Quanhong poplar' and another Populus deltoides cultivar.

Phylogenetic analysis shows 'Quanhong poplar' is closely related to other Populus deltoides strains.

Abstract

The color of the leaves is one of the most important factors for horticultural crops that are considered by breeders, and is also attracting more and more attention from economists and academics. 'Quanhong poplar’ (QHP), a rare, bright reddish-purple color-leaf cultivar that has been widely cultivated in China as a landscape tree, is a very precious color-leaf cultivar. In the present study, a reference-based assembly was performed using whole-genome sequencing data to characterize the chloroplast genome of 'QHP'. The total chloroplast genome size of ‘QHP’ is 156,950 bp, which is divided into two inverted repeat structures of 27,649 bp each, a small single-copy region of 16,563 bp, and a large single-copy region (LSC) of 85,089 bp. From the chloroplast genome, 130 genes have been predicted, including 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. A chloroplast genome containing 36.68% GC content was detected in 'QHP'. Three SNP sites have been developed between 'QHP' and Populus deltoides Zhonglin 2025. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of chloroplast genomes reported for Populus, the chloroplast of 'QHP' is closest to several strains of Populus deltoides.

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