Abstract
A set of nine Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) loci, approved by the ECPGR Prunus working group, are proposed as a standard set for genotyping European plum accessions. These loci show sufficient reliability in spite of problems caused by hexaploidy. Polymorphism in the loci is high and enables differentiation between unique plum accessions as well as analyses of genetic grouping and overall genetic structure. A set of seven reference accessions are described. A compiled dataset with allelic information for 165 accessions is presented. Genetic structure reveals three different K-values (2, 4 and 9) demonstrating a major dichotomy between Prunus insititia-related accessions and cultivars belonging to Prunus domestica sensu stricto, as well as differentiation among minor subgroups defined by pomological traits and geographical origin.
Highlights
Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR), known as microsatellites, were introduced in plant research almost three decades ago (Akkaya et al, 1992)
Genetic structure reveals three different K-values (2, 4 and 9) demonstrating a major dichotomy between Prunus insititia-related accessions and cultivars belonging to Prunus domestica sensu stricto, as well as differentiation among minor subgroups defined by pomological traits and geographical origin
In order to facilitate harmonization between future studies, we propose a standard set of nine SSR loci, approved by the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) Prunus working group, for European plum (Table 1)
Summary
Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR), known as microsatellites, were introduced in plant research almost three decades ago (Akkaya et al, 1992). Compared to some of the more recently developed approaches like Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP) and Generation Sequencing (NGS), SSRs are comparatively easy to apply and interpret, and can be very cost-effective for developing smaller datasets This means that specific questions asked by growers, plant nursery owners, amateur pomologists and genebank curators can be solved by analysing just a few plant samples and comparing their SSR profiles with. In crops like apple (Malus x domestica), where the standardization of loci and procedures has taken very long to achieve, use of separate sets of SSR loci has resulted in many datasets that cannot be compared across different research groups (Sehic et al, 2013). P. domestica is generally thought to result from hybridization between the diploid cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera), the tetraploid sloe (Prunus spinosa) and potentially an additional species (Reales et al, 2010)
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