Abstract
Simple sequence repeat (SSR) microsatellite markers have been extensively used to identify duplication and analyse genetic diversity in germplasm collections of apple. Here, we present findings from the use of a standard set of SSR loci in the managed repropagation of a significant international germplasm collection: the UK National Fruit Collection (NFC). A subset of eight SSR loci was deemed sufficient to distinguish all apart from the clonal relatives across a sample of 1995 accessions, with a single exception being one pair of full siblings. In total, 99% of accessions were able to be confirmed present and correct after the replacement of trees initially identified to be incorrectly propagated. In parallel to the curation of the collection itself, through an initiative led by the UK local apple enthusiast community, 3373 SSR profiles for apples held in local collections were compared to the NFC holdings. Overall, in both sets of material, diversity remained high with average gene diversity values of 0.800 and 0.812 in the NFC holdings and local collections, respectively. Accessions in local collections were not found to differ in their overall coverage of genetic diversity to that of the NFC collection (FST = 0.0035) although significant numbers of locally valued, and genetically distinguishable individuals were identified, some of which may represent ‘lost’ cultivars.
Highlights
Domesticated apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) is one of the most important temperate fruit crops in the world
As in many countries with a history of apple growing, the UK has a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have an interest in the local history of apple cultivars, and a number of these NGOs maintain collections of locally important material
In total 3982 Simple sequence repeat (SSR) profiles representing 1995 accessions were produced from the NFC3 samples
Summary
Domesticated apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) is one of the most important temperate fruit crops in the world. Within the UK, cultivated apple is maintained, at a national level, within the National Fruit Collection (NFC) owned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and curated by the University. As in many countries with a history of apple growing, the UK has a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that have an interest in the local history of apple cultivars, and a number of these NGOs maintain collections of locally important material. Private individuals maintain collections of apples for a range of purposes, from small-scale production to research and conservation. Many of these local collectors use the NFC as their reference point for cultivar identification
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