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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #190063

Title: HYDRANGEA MICROSATELLITE MARKERS FOR CULTIVAR IDENTIFICATION AND HYBRID VERIFICATION

Author
item Rinehart, Timothy - Tim
item Reed, Sandra

Submitted to: American Society of Horticulture Science Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2005
Publication Date: 7/1/2005
Citation: Rinehart, T.A., Reed, S.M. 2005. Hydrangea microsatellite markers for cultivar identification and hybrid verification. American Society of Horticulture Science (ASHS) Program and Abstracts. Las Vegas.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Hydrangea popularity and use in the landscape has expanded rapidly in recent years with the addition of remontant varieties. Most cultivars in production belong to the species Hydrangea macrophylla but H. paniculata, H. arborescens, H. serrata, H. aspera, H. heteromalla, H. integrifolia, H. anomala, H. seemanii and H. quercifolia are also commercially available. In addition to species diversity there is high intra-species variation, particularly in H. macrophylla which includes mopheads, lacecaps, French, Japanese, dwarf, and variegated varieties. Relatively little is known about the genetic background or combinability of these plants. DNA sequence data, genome size, RAPD, AFLP, and ISSR markers have been used for taxonomic identification and to estimate diversity within the genus. All of these methods have limited usefulness in a large scale breeding program. We recently established microsatellite markers for Hydrangea and evaluated their utility for estimating species diversity and identifying cultivars. We also verified an inter-specific cross using these markers. Future research includes marker assisted breeding, particularly with respect to remontant flowering traits.