The application of flow cytometry and a thioredoxin‐like nuclear gene for breeding Poa arachnifera x Poa pratensis hybrids. Issue 5 (1st September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Meeks, Meghyn; Chandra, Ambika; Staub, J.
• Is Part Of: Plant breeding. Volume 134:Issue 5(2015)
• Page Start: 612
• Page End: 622
• Publication Date: 2015-09-01
• Subjects: Plant breeding -- Periodicals; 631.52
• DOI: 10.1111/pbr.12299
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0179-9541

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="pbr12299-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Interspecific hybridization between <italic>Poa arachnifera</italic> Torr. (Texas bluegrass) and <italic>Poa pratensis</italic> L. (Kentucky bluegrass) has shown to be a proven method for the development of turf‐type hybrid bluegrass cultivars for the southern United States. Unlike in <italic>P. pratensis</italic>, the use of DNA markers for molecular characterization and flow cytometry to determine nuclear DNA contents has not been extensively utilized in <italic>P. arachnifera</italic>. In this study, 2C nuclear DNA content of 19 different genotypes of <italic>P. arachnifera</italic> (both males and females) was determined to range from 8.02 to 13.24 pg/2C using flow cytometry. The DNA content of the hybrids between <italic>P. arachnifera</italic> and <italic>P. pratensis</italic> from two different pedigrees was found to be intermediate between their parents. Furthermore, the utility of the <italic>trx</italic> (thioredoxin‐like) nuclear gene in the identification of interspecific hybrids between <italic>P. arachnifera</italic> and <italic>P. pratensis</italic> was demonstrated using sequence and phylogenetic analyses. A newly discovered 851‐bp <italic>trx</italic> allele may serve as a useful marker to differentiate <italic>P. arachnifera</italic> from <italic>P. pratensis</italic> and provide insights into the evolutionary origin of <italic>P. arachnifera</italic>.</p> </abstract>