Abstract:
World apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) production is increasing steadily due to breeding
of new high yielding cultivars in different countries. More recently, breeding programs
have been modified according to consumers’ demands and also improvement in resistance
to diseases (Sharka, Monilinia etc.), frost damages, and determination of self-(in)
compatibility. In this study, fourteen apricot breeding progenies and six of their parents
were evaluated by using both morphological and molecular markers. As morphological
markers, fruit weight, width, length, height, total soluble solids, acidity, and fruit firmness
were used. In molecular analysis, to determine genetic relationships, Sequence-Related
Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP), Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) and Damage-
Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMP) markers were used. In addition, SRc-F/R
markers were used to determine S allele profile. The results showed that, although there
were no earlier genotypes than Ninfa and Priana, Ay×P3 cross was a promising genotype
with regard to earliness and fruit characteristics. A total of 224 scorable bands obtained
with 8 SRAP primer combinations (25 bands), 8 DAMP primers (81 band) and 16 ISSR
primers (118 bands) showing high diversity among crosses and cultivars. A total of 4 SRNase
alleles (SC, S2, S3, S6) were identified in this study and the most widely identified
alleles were SC and S3 alleles.
Keywords: Cross breeding, Hybridization, New variety, Prunus armeniaca.
