Mining new microsatellite markers for Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica L.) from SSR-enriched genomic library

• Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica L.) is an important fruit species in the genus Prunus L (Rosaceae).
• There are few co-dominant markers like SSR available for Siberian apricot.
• Forty-six SSR primer pairs showing polymorphism have been developed in the study, providing valuable tools for genetic studies in Siberian apricot and related species.

Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica L.) is a multipurpose tree species of great economic and ecological importance. It displays abundant natural variation which provides a fuel for it to adapt to various environments. The development of polymorphic markers has become increasingly essential for quantifying the genetic diversity of this species and charactering quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control complex traits. SSR markers are the most suitable molecular markers owning to their desirable genetic attributes. However, the number of SSR makers developed for Siberian apricot is limited. Thus in this report, using magnetic beads enrichment protocol, we obtained 143 unique sequences from two GA-enriched genomic libraries with two blunt end-cutting restriction enzymes (AluI, HaeIII) and successfully developed 52 primer pairs. Among them, 46 loci showed polymorphism in eight P. sibirica accessions and the number of alleles obtained ranged from 2 to 12 with an average of 6.20. The polymorphism information content (PIC) for the polymorphic SSRs ranged from 0.11 to 0.90 with an average of 0.62. The present study provides valuable tools for genetic studies in Siberian apricot and related species, such as population genetics, germplasm identification, QTL mapping and marker assisted selection.