A database of simple sequence repeats (SSR) marker based DNA profiles of Citrus and related cultivars and germplasm

The present study investigated identification of cultivars through phylogenetic analysis of 108 Citrus varieties and related cultivars using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Two hundred three SSR primer pairs were used to detect polymorphic markers among 8 Citrus cultivars consisting of 4 mandarins, 1 orange, 1 tangor, 1 tangelo, and 1 pumelo. Eighteen SSR primer pairs were reproducible and showed highly polymorphic alleles. These markers were applied to assess genetic variations of the 108 varieties. Each marker detected 5-14 alleles, with an average of 9.28. The polymorphism information content varied from 0.417 to 0.791 with an average of 0.706. Cluster analysis with SSR markers resulted in 13 major groups reflecting cultivar types and pedigree information. Twelve orange cultivars in the I-1st sub-cluster and 23 mandarin cultivars in the II-1st sub-cluster, respectively, were not discriminated using the SSR markers. This could be due to narrow genetic backgrounds originated through bud mutation or nucellars seedlings. The SSR profile database of Citrus cultivars will be useful as a tool for protection of plant breeders' intellectual property rights in addition to assessing genetic diversity in Citrus cultivars and germplasms.