RAPD-based analysis of differences between male and female genotypes of Asparagus officinalis

Abstract

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) plants are dioecious. All-male cultivars are desired because of their higher yields. To increase the proportion of male individuals planted in the field and expedite the breeding of all-male cultivars in asparagus, development of generally applicable molecular markers to distinguish male and female individuals is required. Bulked genomic DNA samples from ten male (XY) and ten female (XX) plants was screened with 10-bp random primers. Of the 188 primers tested, the primer T35R54 produced a 1600-bp fragment observed only in male individuals. The specificity of this T35R54-1600 marker was verified using DNA from one supermale (YY) and one female (XX) breeding line and their four F₁ progenies (XY). The T35R54-1600 marker fragment was observed in both supermale and all-male lines. The sequence of the T35R54 primer (5'-TTCACGGTGG-3') was absent among the sequences of primers or amplified fragments from previous studies. Therefore, this marker could be useful as a sex-related marker in future studies to increase the reliability of sex determination in asparagus.