A Genetic Map Investigation Of Adventitious Rooting And The Correlation Between Genetic Markers And Rooting Types Of Peaches

Shawn Patel

School Name

South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Cell and Molecular Biology

Presentation Type

Mentored

Mentor

Mentor: Douglas Bielenberg, College of Agricultural, Forestry, and Life Sciences, Clemson University

Abstract

Adventitious rooting is the ability of plants to regenerate a root system from a removed shoot and allows for mass cloning of the specific plant genotype and phenotype. Unfortunately, some plant species root very poorly because they do not possess adventitious rooting, but the genetic basis of this deficiency is not known. The goal of this research is to identify the exact genetic factors behind the adventitious rooting of peaches which would allow isolation of the gene and could potentially lead to DNA splicing. Two separate peach populations, A and C, are being phenotyped for their adventitious rooting ability. Approximately ten, twenty-centimeter long cuttings of current year wood were taken from each of the 378 trees in the A population and the 57 trees in the C population. The leaves were completely stripped and the stems were dipped in IBA (indole-3-butyric acid) and placed in a soilless media mixture composed of vermiculite and perlite. They were then placed in the greenhouse and kept misted under certain water exposure and constant temperature for four weeks. The cuttings were then scored for mortality, callus formation, root formation, and bud breakage. These factors help to determine the presence of adventitious rooting in the populations. DNA from the dried leaf tissues of each tree of the same populations were extracted, quantified, and quality checked. These extractions were sent off to be sequenced in order to obtain a more detailed genetic map allowing for the isolation of the rooting gene.

Start Date

4-11-2015 8:30 AM

End Date

4-11-2015 8:45 AM

COinS
 
Apr 11th, 8:30 AM Apr 11th, 8:45 AM

A Genetic Map Investigation Of Adventitious Rooting And The Correlation Between Genetic Markers And Rooting Types Of Peaches

Adventitious rooting is the ability of plants to regenerate a root system from a removed shoot and allows for mass cloning of the specific plant genotype and phenotype. Unfortunately, some plant species root very poorly because they do not possess adventitious rooting, but the genetic basis of this deficiency is not known. The goal of this research is to identify the exact genetic factors behind the adventitious rooting of peaches which would allow isolation of the gene and could potentially lead to DNA splicing. Two separate peach populations, A and C, are being phenotyped for their adventitious rooting ability. Approximately ten, twenty-centimeter long cuttings of current year wood were taken from each of the 378 trees in the A population and the 57 trees in the C population. The leaves were completely stripped and the stems were dipped in IBA (indole-3-butyric acid) and placed in a soilless media mixture composed of vermiculite and perlite. They were then placed in the greenhouse and kept misted under certain water exposure and constant temperature for four weeks. The cuttings were then scored for mortality, callus formation, root formation, and bud breakage. These factors help to determine the presence of adventitious rooting in the populations. DNA from the dried leaf tissues of each tree of the same populations were extracted, quantified, and quality checked. These extractions were sent off to be sequenced in order to obtain a more detailed genetic map allowing for the isolation of the rooting gene.