TITLE:
Efficiency of RAPD in assessing genetic variation in commercially viable local varieties of blueberry (Vaccinium)
AUTHORS:
Christian Mandiola Quililongo, Pamela Villouta Wheeler, Luis Velásquez Cumplido, Miguel Ríos Ramírez, Jorge Escobar Fica
KEYWORDS:
Blueberry; RAPD; Genetic Variation; Molecular Marker
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.4 No.5,
May
28,
2013
ABSTRACT:
The growth in both production and plantation surface area
of blueberries in Chile has been positive, with an estimated surface area of 13,057
hectares (16.9% planting surface) and production in the order of 56,000 tons
(16.3% mundial production). Of all the different species of blueberry there are
several varieties that have advantages with regard to certain conditions; for
example, one variety adapts better to the climate of a particular area, while
others are better for early or late harvests, they can also be resistant to
fungus, bacteria, etc. Companies are very interested in this issue because
prior knowledge of such data can bring financial benefits. Blueberries have a
significant degree of morphological variation, which enables recognition of different
clones with different environmental adaptation characteristics, but it also
allows us to discriminate between different levels of fruit quality, which is
of commercial interest. However, these morphological characteristics are late
in their expression, making it impossible to recognize the clones in the early
stage of their development. A more efficient tool to be able to recognize
different clones is the use of molecular markers. Of the techniques based the
RAPD (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA). They have the advantage
that the method has no need for prior knowledge of the DNA sequence. It is of
great interest to the private sector to have prior access to information on the
types of clone they possess, in order to then be able to differentiate the
varieties, but for this it is necessary to obtain a quick and economical
technique. In this study, through the use of RAPD-PCR, it is possible to
differentiate between different varieties of Vaccinium grown in Chile in order to then optimize blueberry
production in terms of time and resources.