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Abstract Detail



Economic Botany Section

Zavada, Tomas [1], Kesseli, Rick [1].

Tossing the salad – domestication and genetic ancestry in endive (Cichorium endivia).

Endive (Cichorium endivia) is a self-compatible leafy vegetable crop used as a component of Mesclun salad mix. The origin of domestication and cultivation of endive is believed to be in the Mediterranean. One can distinguish between two major groups of cultivars: var. latifolium (broad-leaved) and var. crispum (curly-leaved). As endive is a relatively minor crop, selfing endive cultivars may be founded on a narrow genetic base, despite the substantial morphological diversity. It was suggested that either Cichorium pumilum or Cichorium calvum might be endive’s wild progenitor. A measure of the allelic diversity in the compared populations of domesticated endives (landrace and cultivar origin), C. calvum, and C. pumilum would provide insight into the role these wild species played in the domestication of endive. Knowledge of C. calvum and C. pumilum’s genetic variability would be helpful for expanding the endive breeding stock. We screened 138 plants – two wild C. calvum accessions, two wild C. pumilum accessions, and 13 populations of landrace endives and cultivars. Twelve polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed, and they cross-amplified on all three species. Allelic profiles of all individuals were analyzed using programs Arlequin, HP-Rare. The genetic relationships based on marker similarities were visualized in Structure. C. pumilum was confirmed to be endive’s wild progenitor based on Fst values and the fact that it shares the same genetic cluster with landrace endives. The highest allelic richness (3.48) was observed in a wild C. pumilum population. A fixed allele at microsatellite locus 1385 characterizes variety-specificity for broad-leaved vs. curly-leaved endive. Surprisingly, endive cultivars showed heterozygosity in several loci, suggesting a high rate of outcrossing in endive’s selfing breeding system.

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1 - University of Massachusetts, Biology, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA, 02125, USA

Keywords:
Endive
genetic diversity
Domestication
microsatellites.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 1
Location: Napoleon Ballroom/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 10:45 AM
Number: 1011
Abstract ID:401
Candidate for Awards:Economic Botany Section best student paper


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