Abstract
Aim of the study: The Breeding Program of wild cherry (Prunus avium) developed by Lourizán Forest Research Center (NW Spain), aims for the creation of the Main Breeding Population, that is formed by a large number of plus trees and for obtaining an Elite Population generated from controlled crosses of a number of plus trees selected by, at least, one trait of economic importance. The aim of this study was to genotype 131 accessions of Prunus avium plus trees, included in the breeding program.Area of study: The Prunus avium plus trees are located in the North, Northwest and Central Spain.Material and Methods: The Prunus avium plus trees were genotyped with nine microsatellites. Several genetic parameters were calculated. Genetic data were analyzed with STRUCTURE and the genetic distance between the plus trees were calculated.Main results: A total of 122 multilocus genotypes were detected. Several accessions with the same genotype were identified, which could be due to clonality or to labelling errors. The nine microsatellites are useful for identifying individuals because the combined probability of identity was low (PI = 5.19X10-9). Bayesian methods detected two genetic clusters in the sampled plus trees.Research highlights: The unique genotypes identified in this work are suitable for being included in the elite breeding population for economic traits.Keywords: Prunus avium; breeding program; microsatellite; genetic distance.
Highlights
Wild cherry (Prunus avium) is a noble hardwood species of economic importance which is being used in clonal plantations in order to produce high quality timber
The main objectives of this study were to genotype, with nine nuclear loci, 131 accessions of P. avium plus trees that are being used in the Main Breeding Population and in the Elite Population and to detect a clonal and genetic structure
Up to 173 samples were collected from 131 accessions of P. avium that were classif ied as plus trees in different field prospections in the North of Spain (Figure 1)
Summary
Wild cherry (Prunus avium) is a noble hardwood species of economic importance which is being used in clonal plantations in order to produce high quality timber. In 1998, the Lourizán Forest Reseach Center, located in Galicia, in the Northwest of Spain, started a phenotypic selection of P. avium plus trees. These trees were propagated by grafting to stablish clonal seed orchards. For P. avium, the plan defines two different populations. The Main Breeding Population contains plus trees from the North and Northwest coast and Central Spain, phenotypically selected on the basis of their value for timber produc-
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