Molecular characterisation of Berberis thunbergii cultivars using microsatellite markers

Due to a growing concern for black stem rust (BSR) disease in wheat-producing regions of the USA and Canada, the sale and movement of barberry plants to ‘quarantined’ regions is restricted to just a few cultivars approved as being BSR-resistant. Currently, verification of a given barberry plant as being ‘true-to-type’ of the approved cultivar relies on comparing its morphological features with those of its reference cultivar. Frequently, this approach leads to mis-identification of cultivars due to the similarity of morphological features among young plants. The approach is complicated, or not at all useful, when the plants are dormant, which is the stage at which plants are sold. A reliable technique that could be used at any stage of plant growth to identify and verify cultivars is needed. In this study, the genetic diversity of 51 barberry cultivars was assessed using microsatellite markers, and their genotypic profiles were developed based on the allele composition of different microsatellite loci. A total of 43 alleles were generated at seven microsatellite loci, and all were polymorphic. An unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averaging (UPGMA) cluster analysis of the Jaccard’s coefficient of similarity matrix showed that 84.3% of the 51 cultivars tested were distinct from each other. Ten of the 11 cultivars approved for import into Canada were distinguishable based on their genotypic profiles. The results indicated that microsatellite-based genotyping could be used by regulatory agencies to identify and offer ‘true-to-type’ guarantees to cultivars destined for BSR ‘quarantined’ regions, and to verify the uniqueness of new cultivars when issuing Plant Patents.