Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXVII, Issue 2
Written by Cosmin Alexandru MIHAI, Maria Cristina IONESCU, Adrian ASĂNICĂ, Dan POPESCU, Mihaela IORDĂCHESCU
High-bush blueberry is an important economic and nutraceutical species, due to its high content of anthocyanins and high antioxidant activity. Nowadays, climate changes are affecting plant growth and development, leading to changes in plants’ adaptation to new environmental conditions. Consequently, the need to create new varieties and hybrids to cope with changes and meet the growing demands of consumers is imperative. One way to hasten plant breeding is to employ molecular methods, such as ISSR. In the present study, five ISSR molecular markers were used to study the genetic relationships between seven Romanian blueberry cultivars and one hybrid. The dendrogram obtained following ISSR analysis revealed the presence of two clusters, one cluster containing 'Lax’, 'Prod’, 'Vital’, 'Azur’, and the second one 'Simultan’, 'Delicia’, 'Compact’, and the hybrid obtained through free pollination of variety 'Compact’. The shortest genetic distance was noted between the hybrid genotype and the 'Compact’ cultivar. The longest genetic distance was noted between the varieties 'Compact’ and 'Prod’. The study also revealed common markers for the hybrid studied and its maternal genitor, that could be used as markers in blueberry breeding.
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