Analysis of grape rootstocks by SSR markers

Abstract

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aims</strong>: The aim of this work was to determine the SSR profile of 96 <em>Vitis</em> accessions (mainly rootstocks) at 19 loci to find genetic relatedness between them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: The molecular markers used in the last 30 years are not or less affected by the environment, making them a valuable tool for the determination of genetic distances. Based on our former experiences, an SSR analysis was carried out on 96 grape accretions, mainly rootstocks. DNA was extracted from young leaves and analyses were carried out at 19 microsatellite loci. The loci were selected to cover all of the linkage groups to get a more accurate genotyping of each grape rootstock. Results of the SSR analysis and the resulting dendrogram showing genetic relatedness are presented.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusions</strong>: Based on the results, it can be established, that most of the selected loci showed appropriate polymorphism for the assessment of genetic relatedness. The rootstocks derived from Teleki’s seedlings showed high similarity. A low genetic distance was also detected between the accessions originated from the cross between Börner and Georgikon 28. Finally, the <em>Vitis sylvestris</em> accessions showed close relatedness with the <em>Vitis vinifera</em> L. varieties.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Significance and impact of the study</strong>: Our results indicate a high level of polymorphism between grape rootstock accessions. Strong differences were detected between the so-called Teleki 5C (T5C) and Teleki-Kober 5BB (T5KBB) “clones”, suggesting that they are not real clones but different genotypes with highly similar morphological features.</p>