Open Access

ARTICLE

Molecular markers to study the variability within the Eragrostis curvula complex

Zappacosta D¹, M Meier¹, A Carrera¹, G Pacheco², S Cardone³, JP Selva¹, V Echenique¹

1 Lab. Biotecnología Vegetal, CERZOS-CONICET, CCT Bahía Blanca and Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Andrés 800, (8000) Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
2 Instituto de Genética INTA-Castelar.
3 Cátedra de Genética, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires.
Address Correspondence to: Dr. V iviana Echenique, Departamento de Agronomía, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Andrés 800, (8000) Bahía Blanca, Argentina. Phone 54 291 4861666, ext. 155; Fax 54 291 4862882, e-mail: echeniq@criba.edu.ar

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2011, 80(all), 211-220. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2011.80.211

Abstract

Weeping lovegrass is well adapted for forage production and useful for soil conservation in semiarid regions, constituting a morphologically diverse group. Diploid genotypes are unfrequent and reproduce sexually, whereas the tetraploids and plants of higher ploidy levels reproduce by apomixis. In the present work RAPD, AFLP and EST-SSR were used in order to assess the reproductive mode through progeny tests, to determine intracultivar homogeneity or seed purity, to establish genetic relationships among the cultivars within the complex and to characterize the new materials obtained by our group. Eight commercial cultivars and three new plant materials were analyzed. Uniform and variable patterns were observed in progenies of apomictic and sexual plants, respectively. Seed purity was evaluated in seed bulks, observing a certain degree of contamination with seeds from different sources. AFLP were the markers with the highest potential for cultivar identification. The clustering using SSR and AFLP was consistent with previous studies using isozymes and morphological traits. The new tetraploid materials developed by our own group should be included within the curvula type. We also proposed the creation of a new morphological type for the diploid, because it posses morphological characteristics of robusta and molecular profiles of the conferta type.

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