Characterization of some strawberry cultivars and genotypes by molecular markers

This study was performed to reveal the value of genetic relationship among 34 Turkish and foreign strawberry cultivars and genotypes using CAPS and SSR DNA molecular markers. Seventeen primer-enzyme combinations in CAPS and 12 SSR primer pairs in SSR analysis were used. In CAPS analysis, 60 bands were produced and 52 of them were polymorphic. In SSR analysis, 150 allels were generated and 145 of them were polymorphic. The similarity index in CAPS technique ranged between 0.56 and 0.95. Call Giant-4 and Festival (0.95) were found the closest cultivars, while Maya and Whitney (0.56) were the most distant cultivars. According to SSR results, genetic similarity index changed from 0.55 to 0.94. Call Giant-2 and Call Giant-3 (0.94) were the closest cultivars, while Genotype 8 and Call Giant-4 (0.55) were the most distant ones. In the analysis of combined CAPS and SSR data, genetic similarity index ranged between 0.59 and 0.91. Call Giant-2 and Call Giant-3 (0.91) were the closest cultivars, while Genotype 8 and Call Giant-4 were the most distant genotypes. As a result, SSR was better than CAPS from the point of view of polymorphism rates and polymorphism information contents, whereas CAPS was better than SSR from the point of view of resolving power values, in the characterization of strawberry cultivars and genotypes.