Population structure, genetic diversity and core set construction of an international collection of 256 Melissa officinalis genotypes.
von Maydell D, Schwerdt J, Lehnert H, Pöschl-Grau Y, Schmutzer T
Crop Improvement
The lemon balm you grow for tea or calm nerves could soon come in hardier, more potent varieties — this research gives breeders a shortcut to developing cultivars that survive hotter, drier summers while producing more of the essential oils that make the herb valuable.
Scientists collected lemon balm plants from across the globe and used genetic fingerprinting to sort them into distinct family groups. They discovered two main types of lemon balm that are genetically quite different from each other, and found a large reservoir of untapped genetic variety that breeders haven't used yet. To make future plant breeding faster and cheaper, they built a smaller 'greatest hits' collection that captures most of that diversity without requiring breeders to test all 256 plants.
Key Findings
256 lemon balm genotypes split into two clear subspecies: 209 diploid plants of ssp. officinalis and 44 tetraploid plants of ssp. altissima, confirmed by DNA content measurements and 29,307 genetic markers.
The two subspecies show strong genetic separation, with the first genetic axis alone explaining 69.9% of total variation between plants.
21,770 private (unique) genetic variants were identified, revealing substantial untapped diversity that could be used to breed for drought tolerance and higher pharmaceutical compound content.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers mapped the genetic diversity of 256 lemon balm plants from around the world, identifying distinct genetic groups and building optimized smaller collections that breeders can use to develop more drought-tolerant, high-quality varieties without screening thousands of plants.
Abstract Preview
Melissa officinalis (balm) is a perennial medicinal. Climate change and high cultivation costs necessitate the breeding of new cultivars with improved stress tolerance and high metabolite content. ...
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