Identification of true male parents in F1 populations of cacao using SSR markers

Abstract

Cacao is widely cultivated in Indonesia because of its economic benefits. The development of new varieties with desirable traits is required to meet industrial demands. In the present study, two hundred and four F1 cacao progenies have been generated from crossing between ten parental combinations to improve high-yielding varieties. However, progeny paternity of each clone remained undetermined. The study aimed to identify the male parents of F1 cacao populations using SSR markers. A total of 38 SSR markers were applied to screen polymorphism among ten parental combinations. Eleven polymorphic markers were used to amplify 204 cacao F1 hybrids. The genotype data were analyzed using the Cervus program to identify the true genotype of male parents. The result showed that 87 F1 progenies were identified as the true genotype of male parents at a 95% confidence level. Therefore, out of 204 F1 progenies, 87 F1 progenies have been identified their true male parents’ identity. This study demonstrated the utility of SSR markers to detect the true identity of male parents, which helps breeders select F1 progenies known to their parents’ identities.