Abstract
The cutting cultivars of Cryptomeria japonica in the Kyushu district usually consist of several different clones according to many recent reports using DNA markers. However, the genetic relationship between the cutting cultivars and genotypes within each cutting cultivar has not been studied well. Therefore, we examined clone identification and investigated the genetic relationship for major cutting cultivars in C. japonica planted in Kumamoto Prefecture Forestry Research Center using SSR markers. Clone identification using nine genomic SSRs showed that 279 individuals, representing 19 cutting cultivars, were classified into 26 genotypes. The cutting cultivars such as Measa, Ayasugi, Yabukuguri and Obiaka were clone-complex cultivars of major clones. In addition, we found the same genotypes with different cultivar names, which were presumably derived from misclassification. After excluding such suspected individuals, 19 genotypes were analyzed using 33 SSR markers (the previous nine genomic SSRs and an additional 24 EST-SSRs) to investigate their genetic relationship. Our results showed that the cutting cultivars in the Kyushu region have relatively large genetic variations and suggested multiple origins of their cultivars.
