Transferability of SSR and RGA Markers Developed in Cynodon spp. to Zoysia spp.

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) and zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp.), which are both used as warm-season turfgrasses in the USA, are members of subfamily Chloridoideae and reported to be at least 55% genetically similar. To assess if molecular tools between the two species can be interchanged, 93 primer pairs corresponding to bermudagrass simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and resistance gene analogs (RGAs) were used to amplify DNA from eight zoysiagrass cultivars representing three species, Zoysia japonica, Z. matrella, and Z. japonica x Z. pacifica. From these 93 bermudagrass primer pairs, 11 produced clear amplicons in Zoysia cultivars. Alleles from the Zoysia accessions were scored, genetic similarities were calculated, and a cluster analysis was performed. Using these markers, genetic similarity estimates between zoysiagrass cultivars and bermudagrass accessions ranged from 0.16 to 0.22. The transferability of bermudagrass SSRs and RGAs to zoysiagrass cultivars was low (7-12%), but certain markers permitted detection of genetic variability among zoysiagrass cultivars.