Development of DNA Markers for Interspecific and Intersubgeneric Hybrids Involved in Tree Peony Cultivar Groups

Abstract

Tree peony (Paeonia spp.) is a highly ornamental shrub originally from China. Its cultivars are classified into four groups: Chinese, Japanese, French, and American, based on morphological characteristics and geographic location. The French and American cultivars were developed by crossing the wild species P. lutea Delavay ex Franch. and P. delavayi Franch. with Japanese and Chinese cultivars. In this study, we evaluated phenetic relationships among major cultivar groups in the genus Paeonia L., using a dendrogram reconstructed from band pattern data for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers developed in a previous study. We also developed two sequence tagged site (STS) markers using RAPD markers specific to the French and American tree peony cultivar groups and an intersubgeneric hybrid. The former is an LuDeB marker able to detect the genetic relationship with P. lutea and P. delavayi, and the latter is an HPB marker able to identify the cpDNA of herbaceous peony in intersubgeneric hybrid cultivars between herbaceous and tree peony. The possession of bands obtained in this study also supported the breeding history of cultivar development in the genus Paeonia.