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Characterisation of the virescent locus controlling a recessive phenotype in apple rootstocks (Malus pumila Mill.)

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Abstract

Certain progenies of Malling apple rootstocks (Malus pumila) have been reported to segregate for a virescent trait: leaves are chlorotic at germination or bud break but turn green as the season progresses. The M432 rootstock mapping progeny, from which a linkage map has recently been elaborated with 323 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and 3,069 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, also segregates for this phenotype. In this investigation, 188 seedlings were scored and, on the basis of a 3:1 segregation, virescence was attributed to the recessive gene (vir) for which the two parents, M.27 and M.116, are heterozygous. At least seven of 28 Malling rootstocks are heterozygous for this apparently deleterious trait. With the published marker data the gene was mapped to linkage group 12, tightly flanked by the SSR CH01g12 and the SNP marker 475880474, and was located in a physical interval of 2.36 Mb on the Golden Delicious genome sequence. A PCR-based marker was developed from the SNP and along with the SSR was scored in a set of Malus rootstock accessions. The screening of this collection demonstrated that those accessions known to be heterozygous at the vir locus all carried the 152 allele of the SSR and the G allele of the SNP, whilst a virescent accession was homozygous for the alleles. The results we present here could help predict the genotype of apple rootstocks at the vir locus, assist in the fine mapping of the vir locus to identify potential candidate genes for the trait and also aid rootstock breeding.

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Acknowledgments

Apple molecular genetics at Fondazione Edmund Mach is funded by a grant from the Autonomous Province of Trento (Italy) research office. Rootstock genetics research at EMR is supported by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). We acknowledge the assistance of Laima Antanaviciute with recording seedling survival and confirming phenotypes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. East Malling Research (EMR), New Road, East Malling, Kent, ME19 6BJ, UK

    Felicidad Fernández-Fernández

  2. Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010, San Michele all’Adige, Italy

    Sudharsan Padmarasu, Nada Šurbanovski & Daniel J. Sargent

  3. WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, 1100 N. Western Ave., Wenatchee, WA, 98801-1230, USA

    Katherine M. Evans

  4. ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Private Bag X5026, Stellenbosch, 7599, South Africa

    Kenneth R. Tobutt

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  1. Felicidad Fernández-Fernández
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  2. Sudharsan Padmarasu
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  3. Nada Šurbanovski
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  4. Katherine M. Evans
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  5. Kenneth R. Tobutt
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  6. Daniel J. Sargent
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Correspondence to Daniel J. Sargent.

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Fernández-Fernández, F., Padmarasu, S., Šurbanovski, N. et al. Characterisation of the virescent locus controlling a recessive phenotype in apple rootstocks (Malus pumila Mill.). Mol Breeding 33, 373–383 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11032-013-9956-3

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