DNA CONTENT, MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR MARKER ANALYSIS FOR THE EVALUATION OF NEW MANDARIN HYBRIDS
MAJDA STITOU
Research Unit of Plant Breeding and Germplasm Conservation, National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Kenitra, Morocco and Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco.
OUIAM CHETTO
Research Unit of Plant Breeding and Germplasm Conservation, National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Kenitra, Morocco
ABDELHAK TALHA
Research Unit of Plant Breeding and Germplasm Conservation, National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Kenitra, Morocco
NAJAT HANDAJI
Research Unit of Plant Breeding and Germplasm Conservation, National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Kenitra, Morocco
YASSMINA ELBAHLOUL
Research Unit of Plant Breeding, Conservation and Valorization of Plant Genetic Resources, National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), Rabat, Morocco
RACHID BENKIRANE
Laboratory of Botany, Biotechnology and Plant Protection, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, Morocco
HAMID BENYAHIA *
Research Unit of Plant Breeding and Germplasm Conservation, National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Kenitra, Morocco
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The objective of this work was to characterize the new mandarin hybrids by morphological and molecular analysis. Forty hybrids from two crossing between Afourer mandarin and Nova mandarin were evaluated by morphological traits of leaves, cytological and by microsatellite markers SSR. The morphological characteristics suggested that almost all hybrids showed difference statistically highly significant (P < 0.01) for leaf length, leaf width, and ratio leaf lamina length/width. The results of cytometry analysis exhibited that all the hybrids are diploid. Molecularly, one of the four primers detected polymorphisms and three hybrids were selected. This study provided a microsatellite based approach for parentage assignment in hybrids, and that will be useful for investigation of genetic background and selection of new citrus species and varieties.
Keywords: Citrus, Mandarin hybrids, morphological analysis, cytometry, molecular analysis, microsatellite markers SSR.