Molecular characterization of a species in the genus Rubus in Boyacá, Colombia

Abstract

Colombia is home to blackberry genetic resources which present a morphological diversity. The relevant characteristics related to its diversity are the presence of prickles, the shape of its leaves, the number and color of its fruits, and its enormous agro-industrial potential due bioactive compounds such as polyphenols. These plants can grow between 1,700 and 3,400 m asl and are cultivated in the central region of the country. The study evaluated 13 wild and cultivated plants from the genus Rubus. A molecular characterization was carried out using 16 SSR microsatellite markers, all of which produced positive amplification generating 23 loci and 26 alleles. The AMOVA indicated a molecular genetic differentiation of 23% between the groups which corresponded to the geographic location of the sample. The greatest contribution to variance is found within the groups (76%), possibly because each of them is composed of different cultivated species and wild relatives of the genus Rubus. This suggests that the grouping of the genotypes studied doesn’t necessarily correspond to geographical origin. However, the findings show high genetic variation, with an Fst value of 0.27. This may be useful in breeding programs where genetic diversity, morphological characteristics of the fruits, and the molecular identification of the fruits are taken into account.

Screening and Evaluation of Excellent Blackberry Cultivars and Strains Based on Nutritional Quality, Antioxidant Properties, and Genetic Diversity

“…Second generation PCR-based molecular marker systems represented by simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and third generation DNA-based molecular marker systems represented by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) have been used in the identification of Rubus spp. [ 22 , 23 ], genetic diversity analysis [ 24 ], and fruit quality regulation [ 25 , 26 ]. Due to their good stability, strong reliability, and rich polymorphisms, simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are widely used in the analysis and evaluation of biological population genetic diversity [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Morphological and Nutritional Characterization of Wild Edible Blackberries (Rubus spp.) from Sinaloa, Mexico

“…Several authors mention that Rubus species, and other Rosaceae species, are difficult to delimitate because of their easily hybridization among Rubus species, frequent apomixis, phenotypic plasticity and the lack of a consensus on the morphology of the genus [9][10][11]. The morphology of the Rubus species is multifaceted and varied since they can be shrub or woody plants, prostrate or erect, with compound leaf blades and serrated-toothed margins [12,13], which are considered useful characters to generate taxonomic discriminations when distinguishing these from other Rosaceae species [14].…”