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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » National Clonal Germplasm Repository » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #220610
Title: Genetic Diversity of Japanese Strawberry Species Based on Microsatellite Markers

Author
item NJUGUNA, WAMBUI - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item Bassil, Nahla
item Hummer, Kim
item Richards, Christopher
item DAVIS, TOM - U. OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Submitted to: Acta Horticulturae
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/7/2007
Publication Date: 8/1/2009
Citation: Njuguna, W., Bassil, N.V., Hummer, K.E., Richards, C.M., Davis, T. 2009. Genetic Diversity of Japanese Strawberry Species Based on Microsatellite Markers. Acta Horticulturae. 842:581-584.

Interpretive Summary: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Agricultural Research Service (ARS) - National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Corvallis, Oregon, is a genebank that preserves strawberry genetic resources. The strawberry collection consists of 1738 accessions from 17 species and 37 countries. There is renewed interest in studying wild species due to their potential value as reservoirs of genes for crop improvement. Studying wild species could enhance our understanding of the evolutionary forces that have resulted in the large fruited strawberry of commerce. The genetic diversity and population structure of two wild Asian strawberry species were analyzed. One species is thought to be a great grand parent of the commercial strawberry. Our lab work shows that much more diversity was found in the wild than was previously described in the literature. Some unusual types with high chromosome numbers were found in the wild in Japan.

Technical Abstract: The strawberry collection at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Agricultural Research Service (ARS) - National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) in Corvallis, Oregon, consists of 1769 accessions from 17 species and 37 countries. Molecular techniques which include DNA-Based methods are now routinely used to evaluate genetic diversity. The objective of this study was to use molecular markers called “microsatellites” to assess the diversity of two wild strawberry species from Hokkaido Japan. A higher amount of diversity was observed in one species, which tends to cross readily with other species, than in the second species, which tends to self-cross. The seedlings were grouped based on Microsatellite information. A few of the hybrids could not be placed into either paternal or maternal group. Another unusual seedling was found that had 8 times the usual number of chromosomes. Previously no native strawberry with this amount of chromosomes had been found in the wild of Japan. This seedling is now being preserved in the collection at the NCGR. The findings of this study suggest that further research on these two populations is needed.