Cultivar identification and molecular phylogenetic tree based on SSR markers in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.)

Abstract

Turfgrass has a practical property that it is always cut (short and trimmed). In such conditions, it is difficult to discriminate the difference in phenotype unless there is a distinctive morphological feature. In this study, we used six cool-season cultivars of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) and identified them using DNA microsatellite (SSR) markers. We detected SSR markers that can identify six cultivars of creeping bentgrass. Furthermore, the molecular phylogenetic trees created for the six cultivars of creeping bentgrass based on polymorphism information using SSR markers well reflected the breeding lineage of each cultivar.