Nuclear SSR-based Genetic Diversity and Structure Analysis of Vitis Rootstocks

Abstract

We have genetically identified 43 plants representing 28 rootstocks from three different ampelographic collections in Greece with the use of seven nuclear single sequence repeats (SSR) previously characterized. Analysis of SSR alleles and a similarity dendrogram construction was followed by a STRUCTURE and a hierarchical STRUCTURE analysis. We also compared the obtained genetic data with literature data about the origins of these rootstocks. In most cases known pedigrees of the studied rootstocks were confirmed but in some other cases microsatellite profiling did not support the pedigrees data, casting a doubt about the identity of a particular rootstock or on pedigree given by the literature. The genetic profiling of these plants enabled to reassign wrong identities in the collections and proved to be very efficient in assessing rootstock identities in a commercial dispute. The identity of an unknown rootstock was also determined. This work provides the molecular fingerprinting of 28 rootstocks and adds to their ancestry characterization.