Genome size variation in Corchorus olitorius (Malvaceae s.l.) and its correlation with elevation and phenotypic traits

In this study, we report genome size variations in Corchorus olitorius L. (Malvaceae s.l.), a crop species known for its morphological plasticity and broad geographical distribution, and Corchorus capsularis L., the second widely cultivated species in the genus. Flow cytometric analyses were conducted with several tissues and nuclei isolation buffers using 69 accessions of C. olitorius and 4 accessions of C. capsularis, representing different habitats and geographical origins. The mean 2C nuclear DNA content (+/- SD) of C. olitorius was estimated to be 0.918 +/- 0.011 pg, with a minimum of 0.882 +/- 0.004 pg, and a maximum of 0.942 +/- 0.004 pg. All studied plant materials were found to be diploid with 2n = 14. The genome size is negatively correlated with days to flowering (r = -0.29, p < 0.05) and positively with seed surface area (r = 0.38, p < 0.05). Moreover, a statistically significant positive correlation was detected between genome size and growing elevation (r = 0.59, p < 0.001) in wild populations. The mean 2C nuclear DNA content of C. capsularis was estimated to be 0.802 +/- 0.008 pg. In comparison to other economically important crop species, the genome sizes of C. olitorius and C. capsularis are much smaller, and therewith closer to that of rice. The relatively small genome sizes will be of general advantage for any efforts into genomics or sequencing approaches of these species.