Autochthonous Austrian Varieties of Prunus avium L. Represent a Regional Gene Pool, Assessed Using SSR and AFLP Markers

Abstract

Sweet cherry production faces new challenges that necessitate the exploitation of genetic resources such as varietal collections and landraces in breeding programs. A harmonized approach to characterization is key for an optimal utilization of germplasm in breeding. This study reports the genotyping of 63 sweet cherry accessions using a harmonized set of 11 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers optimized in two multiplexed PCR reactions. Thirty-eight distinct allelic profiles were identified. The set of SSR markers chosen proved highly informative in these germplasm; an average of 6.3 alleles per locus, a PIC value of 0.59 and above-average expected and observed heterozygosity levels were detected. Additionally, 223 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers derived from eight selective primer combinations were employed to further differentiate 17 closely related accessions, confirming the SSR analysis. Genetic relationships between internationally known old cultivars were revealed: SSR fingerprints of “Schneiders Späte Knorpelkirsche” and “Germersdorfer” were found to be identical to those of the standard cultivar “Noire de Meched”, among others, whereas four accessions known as “Hedelfinger Riesenkirsche” and four known as “Große Schwarze Knorpelkirsche” showed allelic differences at various loci. The genetic diversity of locally-grown cultivars worldwide might be currently underestimated. Several autochthonous Austrian sweet cherry germplasm accessions were genotyped for the first time and their genetic relationships analyzed and discussed. Interestingly, seven Austrian sweet cherry landraces were shown to be clearly genetically separated from international and modern varieties, indicating that Austrian germplasm could include valuable genetic resources for future breeding efforts.

SSR-Based Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Structure of Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium L.) from 19 Countries in Europe

“…Average number of alleles (N = 9.8), PIC value (0.658), observed heterozygosity (H o = 0.71), and expected heterozygosity (H e = 0.70) were higher in this study compared to values reported in most other sweet cherry studies [11,13,18]. Exploration of two germplasm collections from Southern and Central Italy revealed a mean expected heterozygosity H e = 0.56 and 6.5 alleles per locus [18].…”

“…Assessing the genetic diversity of 20 Lithuanian sweet cherry accessions showed slightly higher values for H o and H e , respectively (0.68 and 0.66) [22]. A study of Austrian sweet cherry varieties resulted in similarly high values as in the Lithuanian study: H o = 0.66 and H e = 0.64 [11]. All these results agreed with values of heterozygosity reported by other authors for sweet cherry: 0.49 [23], 0.50 [24], 0.66 [25], 0.59 [26], 0.61 [27].…”

“…Currently, molecular markers (RAPD, AFLP, ISSR, SSR, and SNP) are being used to analyze the genetic diversity of European landraces and identify putative synonyms in a whole range of fruit tree species and other vegetatively propagated crops [10]. Studies on sweet cherry genetic diversity involving landraces of different European countries, such as Austria [11], Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia [12], Czech Republic [13], France [14,15], Germany [16], Greece [17], Italy [18][19][20][21], and Lithuania [22], have been published in the last decade. However, most of these studies have focused on a limited number of landraces from each country or even from a region within a country.…”

Development of SSR Markers Based on Transcriptome Sequencing and Verification of Their Conservation across Species of Ornamental Pennisetum Rich. (Poaceae)

“…The SSR marker amplification results of the 38 Pennisetum samples in this study showed that the average PIC value was 0.35, which indicates a moderate level of polymorphism [44]. The PIC in our study was lower than the average PIC value of the SSR markers of the 128 Camellia sinensis varieties (0.704) [45], and Prunus avium (0.59) [46], but higher than Carex (0.259) [21]. This suggests that the PIC value, reflecting the degree of variation in SSR loci, may be related to germplasm.…”

Sweet Cherry Diversity and Relationships in Modern and Local Varieties Based on SNP Markers

“…In the last decades, several studies have been carried out to describe the diversity of sweet cherry using molecular techniques. Many of these investigations were based on simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, for instance, to assess genetic variation in the local sweet cherry germplasm of different countries [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ], including Italy [ 7 , 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”