Morphological characterization and screening of universal dna barcodes for species identification of moringa oleifera and moringa stenopetala

The genus Moringa comprises 13 species that differ morphologically, genetically, and phytochemically, with variation influenced by environmental conditions and cultivation practices. M. oleifera is the most widely distributed species, while M. stenopetala has gained interest due to ITS medicinal properties and amino acid profile. After processing, the two species cannot be distinguished morphologically, reinforcing the need for molecular markers. This study characterized M. oleifera and M. stenopetala using morphology and a screening of universal DNA barcodes in samples cultivated in northern Paraná State, Brazil. Leaflet and pinna numbers per leaf differed significantly between species. The combination of psbA and ITS-2 proved to be an effective barcode for distinguishing Moringa species. Phylogenetic analyses using matK, psbA, rbcL, and ITS-2 inferred the origin of M. oleifera accessions, but this was not possible for M. stenopetala due to limited public molecular data. This work contributes to DNA barcoding efforts by identifying markers that support a global bioidentification system for both species.