Development of molecular markers for fruit skin color in Japanese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.)

A. Fiol, W. Howad, A. Surya, M.J. Aranzana
Japanese plum is a diploid fruit tree species, member of the Rosaceae family, generated by hybridization of Prunus salicina with diverse Prunus species. Japanese plum cultivars show great variability for fruit skin and flesh color, which are both major objectives in plum breeding. Subsequently, molecular markers for early selection of these traits in breeding programs are highly desirable. Despite candidate genes for fruit color have been identified in several Rosaceae species, no validated markers have been described for Japanese plum yet. In Rosaceae family, MYB10 transcription factor has been described as the main gene determining anthocyanin pigment accumulation in fruits, which is responsible for red, purple and black coloration. In order to design a useful marker for marker-assisted selection (MAS), we have explored the variability of the MYB10 gene group in Japanese plum and its association with fruit color. A set of primers were designed targeting conserved MYB10 domains using sequences from peach genome. Primer combinations were tested using a reduced set of P. salicina accessions. The primer pair amplifying more polymorphic alleles was selected and used to genotype a collection of 78 Japanese plum cultivars. One allele, present in all 51 skin-colored accessions and absent in the rest, was found associated with anthocyanin accumulation. This dominant marker can effectively predict the presence or absence of fruit skin coloration caused by anthocyanin pigments.
Fiol, A., Howad, W., Surya, A. and Aranzana, M.J. (2021). Development of molecular markers for fruit skin color in Japanese plum (Prunus salicina Lindl.). Acta Hortic. 1307, 221-226
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1307.34
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1307.34
MYB10, fruit color, anthocyanins, marker-assisted selection
English

Acta Horticulturae