A Molecular Marker Identification Study for Allow Early Selection in Determination Resistant Apple Varieties and Genotypes against to fire blight (Erwinia amylovora)

Abstract

The fruit breeding studies require a long process and high costs. Therefore, hybridization and mutation breeding in some countries such as Turkey were thrown into the background. The apple breeding studies in Turkey is generally carried out as a selection breeding. However, since these studies were not carried out in a comprehensive program, most of the selection studies could not be concluded with variety name. In these studies, the characteristics of the genotypes were determined and they could not go further. The marker assisted selection applications are widely used in molecular plant breeding. The DNA markers used in molecular characterization studies are defined as fragments of DNA revealing variations or mutations which can be used to detect polymorphism between different genotypes or alleles of a gene for a particular sequence of DNA in a population. The aim of this study which it was planned as a preliminary study, it has been to identify a molecular marker to help select apple cultivars or genotypes resistant to the fire blight disease agent (Erwinia amylowora). Thus, selection studies will be accelerated and will be possible to determine the variety or genotype which it has the desired properties in a short time. In this study, nine apple varieties (Gala, Ak Sakı, Mondial Gala, Kasel-37, Vista Bella, Starkrimson, Golden Delicious, Royal Gala, Galaxy Gala) were used. A total of nine primers (designed from RLP1 gene sequence) were used to give information about resistance or sensitivity to fire blight. As a result, the information thought to be related to resistance/sensitivity to fire blight was obtained from the agarose gel image of three primer pairs (E1F/E1R, E2F/E2R, E2F/E3R).

Keywords: Malus, Fire blight, Molecular marker.

DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/5-8-13