IDENTIFICATION OF SATSUMA MANDARIN (CITRUS UNSHIU) CULTIVARS IN CALIFORNIA USING AMPLIFIED FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM (AFLP) MARKERS

Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu) is one of the most important types of citrus grown world-wide, especially in China and Japan. It is also produced in California from mid-October to January. Several new Satsuma mandarin cultivars, originally from Japan or China, were introduced into California in the past few years. We intend to identify different Satsuma mandarin cultivars in California using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Fourteen Japanese Satsuma mandarin cultivars or selections, four Chinese Satsuma mandarin cultivars, and three Satuma mandarin cultivars of unknown origin were included in the studies. Citrus yatsushiro, C. reticulata, C. vulgaris, and C. aurantium were used as out-group controls. Six primer sets, E+GG/M+CTA, E+CC/M+CTA, E+GC/M+CTC, E+CA/M+CTC, E+TT/M+CTG, and C+AG/M+CTG were used in the AFLP analyses. We were able to differentiate 19 individual Satsuma mandarins. Twenty Satsuma mandarin cultivars were separated into five subgroups based on the unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic average (UPGMA) analysis. The AFLP marker system developed here will be useful for Satsuma mandarin fingerprinting and future Satsuma mandarin germplasm collection and preservation.