GENETIC VARIATION AND FREQUENCY OF S-ALLELES IN IRANIAN ALMOND CULTIVARS

Identification of S-alleles in almond cultivars is important for orchard design, and for designing crosses and choosing parents in breeding programs.
In this study the S-RNase alleles of 70 almond accessions grown in different provinces of Iran (most of them of Iranian origin) were identified by PCR using combinations of the consensus primers PaConsI-F, EM-PC1consR, EM-PC2consF, EM-PC3consR and EM-PC5consRD. Sixteen cultivars of different origin were also included in the analysis as a reference for 30 S-RNase alleles already characterized in this species.
In most cases, the results showed two bands matching the size of the already known S-RNase alleles.
However, in 13 accessions some bands differed in size from those and so they were considered to correspond to new S-RNases.
Nine new S-RNase alleles were cloned and sequenced from seven Iranian almond cultivars.
The results showed that Iranian almond cultivars had variation in S-alleles.
Therefore most cultivars had an S-genotype different from those of the established cross-incompatibility groups in almond, and so they were included in the universal group O. The alleles S₁, S₂, S₄, S₇, S₁₂ and S₂₄ had the highest frequencies, whereas S₂₅, S₃₈, S₄₁ and S₄₂ had the lowest frequencies in Iranian almonds.
According to these results, S-alleles are more diverse in almonds originated in different geographical regions, and so could be considered as genetic markers in studies of genetic diversity.

VI International Symposium on Almonds and Pistachios

A. Mousavi, R. Fatahi, Z. Zamani, A. Imani, F. Dicenta, E. Ortega

almond, Prunus dulcis, self-incompatibility, S-RNase allele, genetic diversity, frequency

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2014.1028.4