Fingerprinting of Vaccinium corymbosum cultivars using DNA of fruits

Abstract

  In recent years the production and consumption Vaccinium corymbosum has increased. Highbush blueberry cultivars are divided into three types, northern, intermediate and southern. The traditional methods for classification of highbush blueberry cultivars using morphological and flavour traits are largely unsuccessful, due to environmental influences. The genetic similarity of ten highbush blueberry cultivars was evaluated using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers from fruits and leaves. The DNA concentrations obtained in fruits and leaves were very similar and the band profiles observed in the two tissues were analogous with both molecular markers. RAPD analysis generated 144 bands, of which 112 were polymorphic (77.8%) in fruits and 141 bands of which 118 were polymorphic (83.7%) in leaves. In fruits, ISSR analysis produced 151 bands of which 127 were polymorphic (84.1%) and in leaves it produced 148 bands with 127 being polymorphic (85.8%). Dendrogram and principal coordinates analysis (PCO) analysis using the both markers results were concordant and a clear division of the types of highbush blueberry cultivars (northern and southern) into two distinct groups was verified.