International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 1-9 http://ecoevopublisher.com/index.php/ijmeb 1 Research Insight Open Access Origin and Dispersal of Durian Germplasm in Southeast Asia: Gene Flow Between Wild Populations and Cultivated Varieties Mengting Luo 1,2 1 Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China 2 Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Tropical Animal and Plant Resources Research Center, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding author: menting.luo@jicat.org International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 2025, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/ijmeb.2025.15.0001 Received: 24 Nov., 2024 Accepted: 30 Dec., 2024 Published: 10 Jan., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Luo, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Luo M.T., 2025, Origin and dispersal of durian germplasm in southeast asia: gene flow between wild populations and cultivated varieties, International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 15(1): 1-9 (doi: 10.5376/ijmeb.2025.15.0001) Abstract Durian (Durio zibethinus) is a famous tropical fruit and an important economic crop in Southeast Asia. It also has a special place in local culture. Studying the origin and dissemination of durian germplasm is very helpful for its conservation and breeding improvement. This study sorted out the genetic diversity, evolutionary process and species relationship of durian. We focused on the distribution differences between wild durian and cultivated durian, as well as their respective contributions to genetic composition. The study used genomic technology to further illustrate how genes flow between wild durian and cultivated durian, and also evaluated the value of these gene exchanges for breeding. At the same time, it also analyzed how human activities, such as migration and cultivation, affect the spread of durian germplasm. We also used Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand as examples to study the genetic characteristics of local durian varieties and their wild “relatives”. These cases help us understand the genetic structure of durian more clearly. Finally, the study pointed out that it is now necessary to use biotechnology to protect durian germplasm. Combining genetic research and conservation measures will help durian develop longer both commercially and ecologically. Keywords Durian germplasm; Genetic diversity; Gene flow; Conservation; Southeast Asia 1 Introduction Durian (Durio zibethinus Murr.) is a very representative fruit in Southeast Asia, and its cultivation history is very long. Because of its rich nutrition and special taste, it is often called the “king of fruits”. Now, durian is mainly grown in countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Part of the economy of these countries also depends on the income brought by durian. Durian has a strong taste and tastes sweet and fragrant. Many people like it, so it sells well in the market (Nawae et al., 2023). There are many varieties of durian. Different countries have their own unique varieties, adding up to hundreds of varieties. These durians have many differences in appearance, taste and genes. For example, Mustikarini et al. (2024) found more than 14 different varieties of durian on Bangka Island, Indonesia. Because durian is exported a lot and is very important to the local economy, it has also attracted many agricultural researchers to study it (Siew et al., 2018; Aziz and Jalil, 2019). Studying durian germplasm is a very important thing. First of all, we can protect some old varieties, especially those that are about to disappear. In addition, some durian varieties are more disease-resistant, which is also useful for planting (Chen, 2024; Zhang, 2024). Now that climate change is getting worse, we need to know what genes durian has so that we can pick out varieties that are more suitable for the current environment. For example, some durians are more drought-resistant, some are less susceptible to disease, some have very sweet flesh, and some are even seedless. These varieties are not only high-yielding, but also good for the environment. But the problem is that now in order to grow land, many places have cut down the original trees, and the original growth area of durian has also been destroyed. So we must first figure out what the differences are between various durians. Only by understanding their relationship clearly can we know which ones are particularly important and which ones should be protected first (Sihaloho et al., 2021; Muryidin et al., 2024). Durian breeding is also a key thing. If we understand the genes of durian, we can pick out better varieties to cultivate. For example, durian has tastier flesh, is less susceptible to disease, and even has no core (Huy et al., 2023). There are also some new technologies, such
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