Assessment of genetic relationships among cultivated and wild Rubus accessions using AFLP markers

• Phylogeny of wild and cultivated Rubus species is analyzed.
• AFLPs are applied and data are analyzed with NJ and UPGMA methods.
• AFLPs distinguish 6 subgenera and 15 species in Rubus.
• AFLPs detect the relationships among cultivars, wild species, and hybrid accessions.

The genus Rubus comprises more than 740 species divided into 12 subgenera and contains the raspberries, blackberries, arctic fruits, and flowering raspberries, all of which have been utilized in breeding programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships among wild and cultivated Rubus species mainly collected in Japan. To evaluate genetic resources in Rubus, 81 accessions were analyzed with three amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) primer pairs and data were analyzed with the neighbor-joining and unweighted pair group methods with arithmetic mean. Two of the generated phylogenetic trees grouped subgenera Anoplobatus, Eubatus, Idaeobatus, and Malachobatus into different clusters. Accessions of Rubus idaeus L. var. aculeatissimus collected from four regions in Hokkaido formed distinct clusters reflecting sampling sites. Four hybrid accessions between raspberry cultivars (R. idaeus L.) and R. idaeus L. var. aculeatissimus, and one hybrid accession between a raspberry cultivar and Rubus spectabilis Pursh were clearly distinguished from parental accessions. These results indicated that AFLP markers are a reliable technique for assessing genetic diversity and studying phylogenetic relationships in Rubus. Data from diversity and phylogenetic studies revealed valuable information on the availability of unique fragments in different accessions that would be useful for the development of improved genotypes through conventional breeding and marker-assisted selection.

Genetic relationships among cultivated and wild Rubus accessions using AFLP markers.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide