Minority Starter Grant - Development of Microsatellite Markers for Cranberry Genetic Improvement

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The cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) is a commercially important, North American, woody plant species in the Ericaceae family. Next-generation sequencing technologies offer the possibility of generating large numbers of quality molecular markers quickly and cheaply. The use of such markers will allow the development of innovative plant breeding systems to speed the breeding of unique cranberry cultivars. This research will (1) use Roche 454 pyrosequencing data for the development and testing of 2,400 primer pairs, (2) develop 250 to 500 microsatellite polymorphic markers for cultivated and natural germplasm characterization and linkage map construction, and (3) develop a microsatellite marker based fingerprinting assay for the true-to-type verification of clonally propagated cranberry cultivars. After development and testing, the resulting microsatellite markers will be particularly useful in cranberry genetic studies due to high reproducibility, their multiallelic nature, codominance, relative abundance, wide dispersal in most plant genomes, and transferability among closely related species.The cranberry is a commercially important, North American, woody plant species. The U.S. is a worldwide leading producer of cranberries, which are highly prized for their tart flavor and nutritional and medicinal attributes. However, little information is available regarding the genetics of the species. Next-generation sequencing technologies offer the possibility of generating large numbers of quality molecular markers quickly and cheaply. The use of such markers will allow the development of innovative plant breeding systems to speed the breeding of unique cranberry cultivars to meet challenges such as increasing yield in sustainable production systems, improving berry quality (including nutrition), and responding to increasingly variable and extreme climates and insects and diseases pressures. This project will help support an ongoing education biotech outreach program targeting diverse audiences.