Genotyping of VMU Kaunas Botanical garden blueberry (Vaccinium L.) cultivars using microsatellite markers

Abstract

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is special plant, because it is a lengthy selection of fruit. Humans created hybrids from several types of blueberry. According to Longley (1927), Vaccinium corymbosum basic chromosome number is 12. Blueberry has three ploidy levels: 2x (2n=24), 4x (4n=48), 6x (2n=72). Berries contained about 15% of sugar, organic acids, there are many other valuable nutrients: vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, K, PP, carotenoids and minerals. Microsatellite markers are widely used for many plants species - building gene maps, gene searches, genotype indentification, population genetic diversity and phylogenetic analysis. For blueberry searches these markers show exellent promise for futher use in gerplasm indentification, in genetic studines of wild Vaccinium L. populations, and for constructing linkage maps. Using 5 selected microsatellite markers were explored highbush, lowbush and lithuanian blueberries (selection numbers – 11, 16, 17) from VMU Kaunas Botanical garden. Overall were studied 40 different species. After genetic analysis the most unique alleles have highbush blueberies – 50 alleles, blueberies of selection numbers don‘t have unique alleles. The most unique alleles detected with the primer CA421F (17 alleles) at least with primer CA169F (7 alleles). Analysed blueberry groups using 5 microsatellite primers in UPGMA dendrogram showed that all genotypes were divided into two groups – highbush and lowbush blueberries. And blueberries of selection numbers (No.11, No.16, No.17) belongs to lowbush blueberry.