Abstract
Plants in the genus Amorphophallus, many of which possess high konjac glucomannan content, are considered important cash crops in many Asian countries. Wild relatives of cultivated Amorphophallus species are valuable resources for the genetic improvement of these crops. To aid in future genetic research of wild germplasm resources of Amorphophallus, a single individual of Amorphophallus krausei Engler, Pflanzenr 1911 was collected from southwestern China, and its chloroplast genome was sequenced using next-generation sequencing technologies. The assembled chloroplast genome was 172,418 bp in length with a GC content of 35.23% (GenBank accession no. OR416863). A typical quadripartite structure was found in the genome, which was comprised of one large single-copy (LSC), one small single-copy (SSC), and two inverted repeats (IRs), with lengths of 91,983 bp, 15,591 bp, 32,422 bp, and 32,422 bp, respectively. A total of 132 genes were annotated in the genome, including 86 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. A maximum likelihood (ML) tree of A. krausei and 17 other species in the family Araceae suggested that all Amorphophallus species formed a single monophyletic clade. A close relationship among A. konjac, A. albus, and A. krausei was also revealed by the phylogenetic tree. The newly sequenced chloroplast genome of A. krausei will support future genetic studies, particularly the assessment of genetic diversity, resource conservation, and phylogeographic research.