Genotyping of Jujube (Ziziphus spp.) Germplasm in New Mexico and Southwestern Texas

Abstract

Since the early 19th century, a substantial amount of jujube (Ziziphus spp.) germplasm has been introduced from China and Europe into the United States. However, due to a lack of passport data, cultivar mislabeling is common and the genetic background of the introduced germplasm remains unknown. In the present study, a low-density SNP array was employed to genotype 204 jujube trees sampled from multiple locations in New Mexico, Texas, Missouri, and Kentucky. Multilocus matching of SNP profiles revealed a significant rate of genetic redundancy among these jujube samples. A total of 14 synonymous groups were detected, comprising 48 accessions. Bayesian clustering analysis and neighbor-joining tree partitioned the US jujube germplasm into two major clusters. The first cluster included cultivated genotypes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), whereas the other major cluster comprised the wild/sour jujube (Ziziphus spinosa Hu.). The results also revealed a unique jujube population at Fabens/Tornillo, Texas, and a semi-naturalized population at Tucumcari, NM. These findings will provide valuable guidance to jujube growers and researchers on the effective utilization of jujube germplasm in the horticultural industry.