Intra-specific DNA polymorphism in pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) assessed by AFLP markers

Abstract

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) cultivars, often derived from somatic mutations, are propagated vegetatively. It has been suggested by isozyme data that there is little genetic variation among Smooth Cayenne cultivars. A thorough investigation of the genetic variation within the cultivated species Ananas comosus, particularly among commercial cultivars, will provide critical information needed for crop improvement and cultivar protection. One-hundred and forty-eight accessions of A. comosus and 14 accessions of related species were evaluated with AFLP markers. The average genetic similarity of A. comosus was 0.735 ranging from 0.549 to 0.972, suggesting a high degree of genetic variation within this species. With AFLP markers, discrete DNA fingerprints were detected for each commercial cultivar, breeding line, and intra-specific hybrid. Self-incompatibility, high levels of somatic mutation, and intraspecific hybridization may account for this high degree of variation. However, major cultivar groups of pineapple, such as Cayenne, Spanish, and Queen, could not be distinctively separated. These cultivar groups are based on morphological similarity, and the similar appearance can be caused by a few mutations that occurred on different genetic background. Our results suggest that there is abundant genetic variation within existing pineapple germplasm for selection, and discrete DNA fingerprinting patterns for commercial cultivars can be detected for cultivar protection. The genetic diversity and relationships of four Ananas species are also discussed.

Cultivar identification and genetic relationship of pineapple (Ananas comosus) cultivars using SSR markers

“…Similar results were reported by other studies that used DNA marker analysis to classify pineapple cultivars (Kato et al, 2005;Shoda et al, 2012). Collins (1960) showed that whether the outside edge of the leaf is spiny or lack spines is controlled by a single gene.…”

“…According to the genetic distance derived from SSR markers of 27 pineapple cultivars in the study, the results show that there is a high degree of genetic variation among pineapple cultivars in Taiwan. This variation has also been revealed in DNA studies of pineapple cultivars by AFLP markers (Kato et al, 2005) and SSR markers (Kinsuat and Kumar, 2007). It may result from the combination of self-incompatibility, high levels of somatic mutation, and intraspecific hybridization in pineapple (Kato et al, 2005).…”

“…Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers have been used to detect chloroplast DNA polymorphism in pineapple (Duval et al, 2001), random amplified polymorphic DNA markers have been used to analyze 18 germplasms of pineapple (Ruas et al, 2001), and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers have been used to clarify the intraspecific DNA polymorphisms of pineapple (Kato et al, 2005). Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are molecular markers based on tandem repeats of short (2-6 bp) DNA sequences (Litt and Luty, 1989).…”

Genetic diversity of Cuban pineapple germplasm assessed by AFLP Markers

“…For the collection to be more representative of the broad spectrum of pineapple germplasm, it should be enriched with more cultivated and non-cultivated varieties since most of genotypes in this collection are Red Spanish or Cayenne´s cultivars. Other collections previously characterized with morphological descriptors (Leal et al 1986, Ferreira and Cabral 1993, Duval et al 1996, such as those from Brazil, Martinique and Hawaii or with molecular markers such as the Brazilian (Duval et al 2001) and the Hawaiian collections (Kato et al 2004) showed more diversity.…”

“…The technique has also been employed to identify varieties in pineapple (Leal et al ARTICLE EY Paz et al 1986) and carry out classical genetic mapping studies (Carlier et al 2004). Kato et al (2004), Paz et al (2005) and Tapia proved its suitability for germplasm evaluation.…”