Content of photosynthetic pigments and phenolic antioxidants and ISSR primer testing in Haloxylon aphyllum (Minkw.) Iljin

Haloxylon aphyllum (Minkw.) Iljin is a shrub or small tree commonly used in agroforestry and desertification control in arid territories of southern Russia. To date, adaptive reactions at the physiological and biochemical level, particularly those associated with the photosynthetic apparatus and the content of metabolites in green shoots, and their relation to antioxidant properties remain poorly studied. Analysis of the genetic structure of various populations using DNA markers is also of considerable interest. In this study, the content of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and phenolic antioxidants in the green shoots of H. aphyllum was assessed, and the most informative ISSR primers were identified to examine the genetic structure of H. aphyllum populations. The experiments were conducted in 2024 with H. aphyllum samples collected in the Kharabalinsky district of the Astrakhan region. The ISSR primers UBC809, UBC810, UBC811, UBC818, UBC826, UBC834, UBC840, UBC846, UBC855, UBC860, UBC887, and UBC890 were found to be suitable for ISSR analysis of the genetic diversity of H. aphyllum populations. The original data on the content of photosynthetic pigments and metabolites with antioxidant properties in the green shoots of H. aphyllum were presented.