Using Molecular Markers to Identify Invasive Knotweed Species (Fallopia sp.)

Invasive knotweeds rank in the top ten most invasive species in many areas of North America.  They are a problem in many agricultural regions. The most common invasive knotweed species is Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), less common is Giant knotweed (Fallopia sachalinense).  Together, these two species of knotweeds are able to form an interspecific hybrid called Fallopia X bohemica. The abundance of the hybrid Bohemian knotweed (Fallopia X bohemica) may be underestimated. The identification of the different knotweeds is difficult because the hybrid can be almost identical to one or the other parent. In this study we used 10 molecular markers to attempt to separate the species. Two of these markers target the amplification of the ITS (Internal transcribed spacer) regions of the knotweeds, one marker targets the second intronic seqeunce of the leafy gene, while the rest amplify mitchondria genes. Initially, patterning of the PCR products are assessed to see if differentiation is possible. After, the PCR products are sent to Bio Basic for sequencing.  We found that the primers Japanese knotweed ITS 1, rpoB, rpoC1 and rbcL are able to effectively separated the three knotweeds.  We were able to confirm that the Fraser Valley region has many hybrid knotweed sites. 

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