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Title: Genetic relationships in advanced generation hybrids derived from crosses between Texas and Kentucky bluegrass using ISSR markers

Author
item Goldman, Jason

Submitted to: American Journal of Plant Sciences
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/11/2013
Publication Date: 12/26/2013
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/58277
Citation: Goldman, J.J. 2013. Genetic relationships in advanced generation hybrids derived from crosses between Texas and Kentucky bluegrass using ISSR markers. American Journal of Plant Sciences. 4(12):2440-2443.

Interpretive Summary: Texas bluegrass is a native, cool-season perennial grass that is persistent in northwest Oklahoma and produces green, high-quality forage when most warm-season grasses are dormant. Crossing Texas bluegrass with Kentucky bluegrass can result in hybrids that can be used as low-input turf with greater heat and drought tolerance. Over the last 10 years, many Texas x Kentucky hybrids have been created and confirmed visually and by DNA analysis. However, none of these first generation hybrids had a combination of all the essential traits required for further evaluation. Advanced generation hybrids derived from the first generation hybrids are currently being evaluated for low-input turf potential. Since they are derived from hand-harvested seed from first-generation hybrids located in field nurseries, their exact genetic origin is unknown. This experiment was conducted to determine if there are still genetic relationships among the advanced generation hybrids and some of the Texas and Kentucky parents in their pedigrees. DNA fingerprints were used to determine if individuals were related based on sharing common DNA bands in their profiles. The clustering of the advanced generation hybrids was generally in agreement with what would be expected based on their pedigrees. These results indicated that it was more likely to select a fertile hybrid that merits further evaluation from an advanced generation, rather than the first generation and that these hybrids still contained Texas and Kentucky bluegrass DNA fragments from parents in their pedigrees.

Technical Abstract: Fertile, advanced generation hybrids derived from crosses between Texas (Poa arachnifera Torr.) and Kentucky (Poa pratensis L.) bluegrass have been selected. The hybrids are currently being evaluated for low-input turf potential. Since they are derived from hand-harvested seed from first-generation hybrids located in field nurseries, their exact genetic origin is unknown. This experiment was conducted to determine if there are still genetic relationships among the advanced generation hybrids and some of the Texas and Kentucky parents in their pedigrees. Four ISSR primer combinations resolved on a 6% nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel resulted in 179 polymorphic bands that were scored to create a genetic similarity matrix and dendrogram based on Jaccard’s coefficient. The clustering of the advanced generation hybrids was generally in agreement with what would be expected based on their pedigrees and indicated it was more likely to select a fertile hybrid from an advanced generation, rather than the F1 generation.