Inheritance of reproductive phenology traits and related QTL identification in apricot

• DOI: 10.1007/s11295-016-1027-6
• Publication Date: 2016-06-25T20:05:11Z
• Authors: Juan Alfonso Salazar; David Ruiz; José Antonio Campoy; Stefano Tartarini; Luca Dondini; Pedro Martínez-Gómez
• Keywords: [SDV.SA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences; Molecular Markers; 0301 basic medicine; [SDV.SA] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences; apricots; flowering; Prunus armeniaca; Ripening; Molecular markers; Breeding; SSR; phenology; Breeding; Breeding phenology; Flowering; Molecular markers; Prunus armeniaca; Ripening; SNPlex; SSR; Forestry; Horticulture; Genetics; Molecular Biology; Flowering; 03 medical and health sciences; breeding; [SDV.BV]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology; [SDV.BV] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology; SNPlex; Breeding phenology

This study was supported by project “apricot breeding” (AGL2013-41,452-R) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and “breeding stone fruit species assisted by molecular tools” of the Seneca Foundation of the region of Murcia (19879/GERM/15).<br/>Reproductive phenological traits of great agronomical interest in apricot species, including flowering date, ripening date and fruit development period, were studied during 3 years in two F1 progenies derived from the crosses ‘Bergeron’ × ‘Currot’ (B × C) and ‘Goldrich’ × ‘Currot’ (G × C). Results showed great variability and segregation in each population, confirming the polygenic nature and quantitative inheritance of all the studied traits. Genetic linkage maps were constructed combining SSR and SNP markers, using 87 markers in the ‘B × C’ population and 89 markers in ‘G × C’. The genetic linkage maps in both progenies show the eight linkage groups (LGs) of apricot, covering a distance of 394.9 cM in ‘Bergeron’ and of 414.3 cM in ‘Currot’. The ‘Goldrich’ and ‘Currot’ maps were of 353.5 and 422.3 cM, respectively. The average distance obtained between markers was thus 7.59 cM in ‘Bergeron’ and 7.53 cM in ‘Currot’, whereas the ‘Goldrich’ and ‘Currot’ averages were 5.6 and 7.5 cM, respectively. According to the polygenic nature of the studied phenology traits, QTLs linked to flowering date, ripening date and the fruit development period were identified during the 3 years of the study in all LGs except for LG 8. Among the QTLs identified, major QTLs for flowering and ripening date and the fruit development period were identified in LG 4, especially important in the ‘G × C’ population.<br/>Peer reviewed<br/>32 Pags.- 4 Figs.- 2 Tabls.<br/>