Vol. 2 (2026): Continuous Publication
Original Article

High resolution melting (Bar-HRM) as fast and efficient technique for molecular characterizations of morels(Morchella spp) in southern Chile

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  • David Alors,
  • Leonardo Anabalon,
  • Gabriel Vivallo
David Alors
Universidad Católica de Temuco
Leonardo Anabalon
Universidad Católica de Temuco
Gabriel Vivallo
Universidad Católica de Temuco

Published 2026-04-30

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7770/jonraf-v2-art21

Keywords

  • Morchella,
  • NTFP,
  • DNA,
  • Barcode,
  • HRM

Copyright (c) 2026 David Alors, Leonardo Anabalon, Gabriel Vivallo (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Morel harvesting (Morchella spp.) is relevant in Chile as a non-timber forest product, yet species-levelidentification is challenging due to the genus’ taxonomic complexity and the limited availability of local molecular studies.Here we evaluate Bar-HRM (high-resolution melting) of the ITS barcode as a rapid molecular discrimination tool, calibratedusing ITS sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Six strains were obtained from spore prints of environmental collectionsfrom the Coastal Range (Biobío Region) and the Andean foothills (La Araucanía Region) and Aysén. ITS HRM profilesyielded four distinguishable melting patterns and were broadly consistent with three taxonomic entities recognized by ITSbasedphylogenetic placement: M. importuna, M. tridentina and M. andinensis. For M. importuna, two strains showed a ~1°C shift in melting temperature, suggesting intraspecific variation or technical effects and highlighting the need for expandedsampling to define within-species ranges. Overall, our results support Bar-HRM as a complementary rapid screening approachto discriminate previously characterized Morchella entities, with potential applications in traceability and quality control.

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