Identification of self-incompatibility (S) alleles in Latvian and Swedish sweet cherry genetic resources collections by PCR based typing

The Latvian and the Swedish sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) genetic resources collections comprise valuable material for breeding. The collections represent local Latvian and Scandinavian genetic resources: semi-wild samples, landraces, and cultivars developed in local breeding programmes, as well as diverse germplasm from the northern temperate zone. The objective of this investigation was to determine which S ₁ –S ₆ alleles are most important in the sweet cherry genetic resources collections and to compare the identified allelic and genotypic frequencies in material of different origin. Accessions in the two collections were screened for the presence of the self-incompatibility (S) S ₁ to S ₆ alleles, using PCR based typing. Significant differences (P < 0.05) between screened collections were found in frequencies of S ₄ and S ₅ alleles. Analysis of allele combinations identified the high occurrence of selections with the S-genotype S ₃ S ₆ in both collections. Compared to the S-allele frequencies published for over 250 sweet cherry cultivars from Western and Southern Europe, the Latvian and Swedish germplasm appeared to have a high frequency of the S ₆ allele in both collections, and a relatively high frequency of the S ₅ allele in Latvian germplasm. This study represents the first comprehensive S-allele screening for the sweet cherry genetic resources collections in Latvia and Sweden. Both sweet cherry collections contain high proportion of accessions adapted to north central European growing conditions, not typical for the majority of the documented sweet cherry genetic resources, which explains differences in certain S-allele occurrence.