Detecting strawberry cultivar misidentification in the Philippines using single nucleotide polymorphism markers from the anthocyanin reductase gene

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Commercial strawberry production in the Philippines is done by small-holder farmers in La Trinidad, Benguet, where the climate is conducive for optimal growth of this temperate crop. However, these farmers are not cognizant of the importance of proper cultivar identification, particularly during runner propagation, distribution, and transplanting. Thus, there is a high likelihood that misidentification of commonly grown cultivars has taken place. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to develop single nucleotide polymorphism markers and use them to detect possible misidentification among strawberry cultivars. METHODS Leaf samples from several cultivars were obtained from farmers and the germplasm collection of a local university in La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines. Expressed sequence tags from the ANR gene were screened for putative SNPs. Eleven SNP markers were developed and used to discriminate among the collected samples. RESULTS The SNP markers grouped the cultivars into five genotypic clusters with seven distinct genotypic identities. Clustering analysis revealed inconsistencies between the farmers’ identification and the molecular classification. ‘Sweet Charlie’ samples were assigned to four genotypic clusters and ‘Strawberry Festival’ samples were grouped into three separate clusters. CONCLUSION There is a high probability that cultivar misidentification has indeed occurred. The molecular markers developed in this study could assist in future cultivar verification efforts, germplasm management, and breeding programs.