Isolation and characterization of microsatellites in a medicinal plant,Phyllanthus emblica (Euphorbiaceae)

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized in a medicinal plant, Phyllanthus emblica, to study population genetics for designing an effective in situ and ex situ conservation of genetic resources of the species. • Methods and Results: Six microsatellite markers were developed using an enrichment and magnetic separation protocol. They were characterized in two natural populations of P. emblica. Out of the six microsatellites, five showed polymorphism, with the number of alleles ranging from four to seven. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.360 to 0.760 and 0.499 to 0.806, respectively. • Conclusions: The five polymorphic microsatellite markers will be useful for studying the genetic structure, reproductive biology, and for identification of clones and provenances of this important medicinal plant.