Abstract:

Fluorescence SSR markers were used to study the feasibility of molecular identification for 36 rose varieties and to investigate the genetic relationships among the varieties. A total 85 allele variations were detected at 8 SSR loci, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 6 to 15 with an average of 10.6 alleles. By integrating the information at 8 loci, unique DNA profiles were obtained for each of the 36 varieties. Ra043a locus had the highest identification, and with it 32 allele phenotypes were detected. At least 2 loci were needed to identify the 36 rose varieties. Pairwise Dice’s genetic similarity varied from 0.105 to 0.791. Cluster analysis showed that the rose varieties were divided into 6 groups approximately. China roses, including those from China and Europe, were clustered into one group, and showed significant genetic variation from the rest varieties. The varieties with similar origin were clustered together. The results indicated that SSR markers used in the study were feasible for variety identification and analysis of genetic relationships among the varieties, providing a profound understanding of the genetic background among modern rose varieties.

Key words: rose variety, simple sequence repeat (SSR), allelic genotype, genetic relationship