Development Of Molecular Markers In Redbay

Kenneth Yarborough

School Name

Governor's School for Science and Math

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Botany

Presentation Type

Mentored

Mentor

Mentor: Dr. Liyang; Department Of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University

Oral Presentation Award

1st Place

Written Paper Award

1st Place

Abstract

Woody plant redbay (Persea borbonia) is a native species in South Carolina whose fine-grained wood is industrially valuable and whose fruits are a valuable food source for animals. However, laurel wilt disease has caused high levels of redbay death, threatening the sustainability of this economically and ecologically important woody plant species. Planting resistant clones of trees is the most promising approach to combat the disease. Large-scale development of molecular markers is imperative in molecular breeding for crop improvement. This project aimed to initiate a small-scale analysis of approximately 200 markers obtained from a shallow genome sequencing project of redbay. The markers that were being used targeted microsatellites, small tandem repeats of DNA that are highly mutable. Of the 213 markers being tested, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification success rate was 94% among the 8 individuals that were used. A total of 160 markers had amplicons that were at least 100 base pairs in length. When fully characterized, these markers will be valuable in linkage map construction, molecular characterization of germplasm collections, and analysis of genetic diversity in redbay.

Location

Kinard 115

Start Date

4-16-2016 10:00 AM

COinS
 
Apr 16th, 10:00 AM

Development Of Molecular Markers In Redbay

Kinard 115

Woody plant redbay (Persea borbonia) is a native species in South Carolina whose fine-grained wood is industrially valuable and whose fruits are a valuable food source for animals. However, laurel wilt disease has caused high levels of redbay death, threatening the sustainability of this economically and ecologically important woody plant species. Planting resistant clones of trees is the most promising approach to combat the disease. Large-scale development of molecular markers is imperative in molecular breeding for crop improvement. This project aimed to initiate a small-scale analysis of approximately 200 markers obtained from a shallow genome sequencing project of redbay. The markers that were being used targeted microsatellites, small tandem repeats of DNA that are highly mutable. Of the 213 markers being tested, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification success rate was 94% among the 8 individuals that were used. A total of 160 markers had amplicons that were at least 100 base pairs in length. When fully characterized, these markers will be valuable in linkage map construction, molecular characterization of germplasm collections, and analysis of genetic diversity in redbay.