Genotype variation in drought tolerance and associated DNA markers in Fragaria sp.

Responses to drought in plants are extremely different according to their genetic background; inter- and intra-species variation in drought tolerance is described. Adaptive mechanisms of drought-tolerant plants are mainly determined by genetic and metabolism characteristics. In this study, a standard method for measurement of dehydration tolerance was established to evaluate the degree of drought tolerance in Fragaria genotypes, we performed a short-term water deficit experiment and determined leaf relative water content (RWC) and leaf water losing rate (WLR) as a quick screening method for monitoring of Fragaria genotypes in response to dehydration. The Fragaria genotypes were characterized in their response to drought stress by measurement of two eco-physiological parameters associated with the leaf water status (leaf WLR and RWC) and DNA fingerprints were performed for selected Fragaria genotypes using AFLP and EST markers. Finally, the correlation between specific DNA markers and leaf WLR and RWC and the possibility of using association mapping in a small set of Fragaria accessions to create a set of correlated markers to the physiological traits which can be involved in drought tolerance in Fragaria were tested.