Selection of ISSR Primers to Study the Genetic Diversity of Myrciaria floribunda O. Berg

Abstract

The species Myrciaria floridunda O. Berg, popularly known as cambuí, belongs to the Myrtaceae family. Cambui is a native, non-endemic species that occur in diverse environments in Central America and South America. They are slow-growing plants with a shrub or sub-shrub habit. The fruits, the product of interest of the species, are small, spherical berries orange or red in colorturning to wine colorwhen they are ripe. The exploitation of the species is still mostly extractivist, carried out by traditional local families who, in times of fruiting of the species, leverage their income by selling fruits at fairs. The fruits can be eaten fresh, in the form of jellies, liquor or wine. To study the genetic diversity of the species using ISSR-type molecular markers, it is necessary to first isolate DNA in sufficient quality and quantity. Here, leaves for DNA extraction were collected from the active germplasm bank of the Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil. The DNA of the species was extracted using CTAB detergent methodology with modifications adapted to the species. Twelve ISSR primers were tested on DNA from two cambui genotypes. Of the twelve primers, eight were selected due to their polymorphism index above 50%, namely: UFAL-2, UFAL-3, UFAL-5, UFAL-6, UFAL-7, UFAL-8, UFAL-9 and UFAL-10.