QTL Mapping for Fiber Quality Traits Based on a Dense Genetic Linkage Map with SSR,TRAP,SRAP and AFLP Markers in Cultivated Tetraploid Cotton

Cotton is one of the most important economic crops in the world,and it provides natural fiber for the textile industry.With the advancement of the textile technology and increased consumption demands on cotton fiber,both cotton yield and quality should be enhanced.However,cotton yield

AFLP and SCAR Markers Associated with Peel Color in Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

Peel color is an important breeding objective for eggplant. Dark purple and purplish red are the most common colors in commercial eggplant cultivars. A co-dominant amplified fragment length polymorphism （AFLP） marker which was associated with the peel color （each in coupling phase to dark purple and purplish red） was found in studying the genetic diversity in 58 eggplant accessions （contained cultivars and wild relatives）. The maker bands were sequenced and converted to SCAR marker, this polymorphism in sequence was from an inserted/deleted （indels） mutation. And DNA from 136 eggplant materials （inbred lines, F1, and wild relatives） were amplified with the designed SCAR primers as template, high correlation between the SCAR marker and peel color （dark purple and purplish red） was found. Then, bulked line analysis （BLA） combined with AFLP was further used to identify polymorphic fragments, and another six AFLP markers were tested and verified to be associated with peel color, which demonstrated that BLA was an useful method for identifying molecular markers of interested traits. In conclusion, these markers will facilitate the MAS （maker-assisted selection） of eggplant breeding for peel color.

AFLP Molecular Markers for Leaf Rust Resistance Genes in Foxtail Millet

Foxtail millet is not only a very useful experimental crop, but also a fodder crop and a staple food of people who live on the marginal agricultural lands, and it supplies high-quality protein for food products and industrial materials. However, leaf rust greatly reduces foxtail millet yields in susceptible varieties when weather conditions favor rust spread and development. Therefore, it is necessary to use molecular markers detecting and marking resistance genes. Compared with other molecular markers, AFLP maker is more efficient and powerful in the study of foxtail millet. In this study, AFLP analysis of 131 F2 individuals was performed and three AFLP makers were found to be linked to the rust resistance gene, with the genetic distances of 9.2, 9.8 and 12.4 cM, respectively. Cloning of rust re- sistance genes is of great importance and meaning in studying rust resistance of foxtail millet in the future. Furthermore, we may convert specific AFLP markers into single locus PCR markers, such as sequence characterised amplified region （SCAR） markers or cleaved amplified polymorphic site （CAPS） markers.

Genetic diversity and specific markers in four scallop species, Patinopecten yessoensis, Argopecten irradians, Chlamys nobilis and C.farreri

The AFLP （amplified fragrnent length polymorphism）technique was used to analyse the genetic diversity in four scallop species, Patinopecten yessoensis, A rgopecten irradians, Chlamys nobilis and C. farreri. The genetic similarity indexes of these four species are 0.8415, 0.7863, 0.7190 and 0.6731, while Shannon diversity indexes are 43.52, 58.87, 80.16 and 92.83, respectively. As analyzed, the genetic diversities in two native species, i.e., C, farreri and C. nobilis, are higher than those in other two introduced species, A. irradians and P. yessoensis. The results also showed that C. nobilis and C, farreri shared the most common loci. The genetic distance indicated that C. nobilis and C. farreri are closely related. Moreover, out of 510 AFLP markers, 21 specific bands are found to distinguish the four species scallops and these markers may be applied to the specific germplasm characterization and molecular assistant classification in scallops.

AFLP Marker Linked to Turnip Mosaic Virus Susceptible Gene in Chinese Cabbage(Brassica rapa L.ssp.pekinensis)

Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) which has several strains causes the most important virusdisease in Chinese cabbage in terms of crop damage. In China, Chinese cabbage is infectedby a mixture of strains, breeding of cultivar for the TuMV resistance has become themajor aim. Screening the molecular marker linked to the TuMV-resistance gene formolecular assisted selection is the major method to improve the breeding efficiency. Inthis study, we used AFLP technique and the method of bulked segregant analysis(BSA) tostudy the progeny of Brp0058Brp0108, and identified two DNA molecular marker linked toTurnip mosaic virus-resistance gene with a recombination frequency 7.5 cM and 8.4 cM.

Phenotypic, Cytological and Molecular (AFLP) Analyses of the Cotton Synthetic Allohexaploid Hybrid (<i>G. hirsutum</i>×<i>G. longicalyx</i>)^²

The wild cotton diploid species (2n = 2x = 26) are important sources of useful traits such as high fiber quality, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses etc., which can be introgressed into the cultivated tetraploid cotton Gossypium hirsutum L (2n = 4x = 52), for its genetic improvement. The African wild diploid species G. longicalyx Hutchinson and Lee could be used as donor of the desirable traits of fiber fineness and resistance to reniform nematode. However, hybridization of wild diploid species and cultivated tetraploid cotton encounters a sterility problem of the triploid (2n = 3x = 59), mainly due to ploidy. The restoration of the fertility can be done by creating an allohexaploid (2n = 6x = 78) through the doubling with colchicine of the sterile triploid chromosomes. With this method, a synthetic allohexaploid hybrid (G. hirsutum × G. longicalyx)2 has been obtained. This genotype was studied using phenotypic, cytological and molecular (AFLP) analyses in order to confirm its hybridity and its caryotype, and also to verify the expression of the desirable traits coming from G. longicalyx. The studied genotype showed a quite good level of pollen fertility (83%), and apart from larger seeds and some minor seedling anomalies, most of its morphological characteristics were intermediate between the two parental species. It had 78 chromosomes, proving its hexaploid status. Molecular analysis revealed 136 AFLP loci in this hexaploid, all from G. hirsutum and G. longicalyx, demonstrating its hybrid status. In addition, the hexaploid exhibited the useful traits of G. longicalyx with regard to its remarkable fiber fineness and its high resistance to the reniform nematode. This allohexaploid hybrid constitutes an interesting agronomic material, which can be used as a bridge for the transfer of useful agronomic traits from wild species to varieties of G. hirsutum.

Identification of Molecular Markers Linked to the Wilt Resistance Gene FuJ7(t) in Flax

A cross between wilt resistant flax variety Jinya7 and susceptible variety Jinya1 wasmade for mapping wilt resistance gene(s). The inoculation test of F1 and F2 progeny provedthat the resistance of Jinya7 to wilt is controlled by two dominant genes. With 48 EcoRⅠ/MseⅠ primer combinations, amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) analysis wasperformed on two parents and their F2 resistance and susceptibility bulks. A total ofabout 3300 distinguishable bands were amplified, of which three bands had stabledifferences. The genetic linkage analysis of the three polymorphic DNA fragments withthe resistance gene(s) was made in the F2 segregating population derived from the crossbetween Jinya7 and Jinya1. The DNA fragment AG/CAG was found closely linked to one of thewilt-resistant genes, which with a genetic distance of 5.2cm, was tentatively named FuJ7(t).The cloned fragment AG/CAG was sequenced and then converted successfully to a sequencecharacterized amplified region (SCAR) marker, which can be used more conveniently in theidentification and marker-assisted selection for the wilt resistance gene FuJ7(t) toflax wilt.

Detection of Adaptive Genetic Diversity in Wild Potato Populations and Its Implications in Conservation of Potato Germplasm

A better understanding on how genetic diversity is structured at natural habitats can be helpful for exploration and acquisition of plant germplasm. Historically, studies have relied on DNA markers to elucidate potato genetic diversity. Current advances in genomics are broadening applications allowing the identification of markers linked to genomic regions under selection. Those markers, known as adaptive markers, unlock additional ways to value and organize germplasm diversity. For example, conservation priorities could be given to germplasm units containing markers associated to unique geographic identity, and/or linked to traits of tolerance to abiotic stresses. This study investigated if adaptive marker loci were possible to be identified in a large AFLP marker dataset of ninety-four populations of the wild potato species S. fendleri. These populations originated from six different mountain ranges in southern Arizona, USA. A total of 2094 polymorphic AFLP markers were used to conduct genetic diversity analyses of populations and mountain ranges. Adaptive markers were detected using Bayesian methods which distinguished marker loci departing significantly from frequencies expected under neutral models of genetic differentiation. This identified 16 AFLP loci that were considered to be adaptive. To contrast diversity parameters generated with each set of markers, analyses that included all the 2094 AFLP markers, and only the 16 adaptive markers were conducted. The results showed that both were efficient for establishing genetic associations among populations and mountain ranges. However, adaptive markers were better on revealing geographic patterns and identity which would suggest these markers were linked to selection at the natural sites. An additional test to determine if adaptive markers associated to climate variables found two loci associated to specific climate variables in populations from different regions but sharing similar environmental structure. The distribution of adaptive markers among populations revealed that only two were needed to build a core subset able to keep all the markers. This preliminary assessment shows that adaptive genetic diversity could offer an additional way to measure diversity in potato germplasm and to set up options for conservation and research.

Range-wide genetic diversity in natural populations of Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr.

Prince Rupprecht’s larch(Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr.),a deciduous conifer,widely grows in middle and high elevations of Northern China.Its natural distribution has sharply decreased and has become fragmented,which may have resulted in the loss of genetic variation.In this study,ten natural populations across the entire range of this species were analyzed using amplifi ed fragment length polymorphism markers.A total of 309 loci were detected from 225 individuals of these populations,of which 261(84.5%)were polymorphic.At the species level,the genetic diversity was high(average of the Nei’s genetic diversity H e=0.2602,and Shannon’s information index I=0.3967).The results of molecular variance analysis showed that 90.71%of the genetic diversity occurred within populations.The genetic diff erentiation among populations was moderate as a whole(F ST=0.0929,G ST=0.1510),which is consistent with the moderate level of gene fl ow among populations(N m=2.8116).Based on the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean and STRU CTU RE analysis,these populations were grouped into three genetically distinct clusters.The degree of inter-population diff erentiation(G ST=0.1338)for the south group was larger than that for the north group(G ST=0.0915).There was a signifi cant correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance across the species range(r=0.316,P<0.05).Genetic diversity was signifi-cantly associated with longitude but not elevation or climatic factors.The populations with high genetic diversity from each cluster are therefore recommended for future conservation and management of this species.