MICROSATELLITE MARKERS IN THE AUSTRALIAN DESERT PLANT, SOLANUM CENTRALE (SOLANACEAE)

Premise of the study: The first microsatellite primers were developed for Solanum centrale, a native Australian species used in the bush foods industry. Existing markers developed for other Solanum species were also amplified. Methods and Results: Using an enrichment cloning protocol, seven novel markers were developed, and 48 existing markers from other Solanum species were tested, resulting in the characterization of a set of six highly polymorphic co-dominant loci for use in S. centrale. Microsatellite screening revealed polyploidy. Among the six highly polymorphic loci, allelic diversity ranged from 7 to 14. Conclusions: These markers will be useful for investigating genetic diversity and as a simple way of estimating ploidy of wild populations.