Assessment of the applicability of known SSR markers for development of molecular genetic passports for rapeseed breeding material of V.S. Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops

Winter and spring rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is one of the most important oil, fodder, green manure, and melliferous crops in the Russian Federation. To analyze the genetic diversity of breeding material and develop genetic passports for rapeseed varieties and hybrids, an effective genotyping method based on molecular markers is necessary. This research aims to evaluate the suitability of known SSR markers for these tasks. The work was conducted in the molecular genetics research laboratory of V.S. Pustovoit AllRussian Research Institute of Oil Crops (VNIIMK). The material used consisted of 5–7dayold seedlings of 20 winter rapeseed lines bred at VNIIMK. DNA amplification was performed using 15 pairs of published SSR primers; DNA fragments were detected by electrophoresis in an 8% denaturing polyacrylamide gel. The results showed that, in half of the cases, the markers identified loci present simultaneously on both rapeseed subgenomes. Markers with dinucleotide motifs and lowcomplexity regions predominated, and some demonstrated a dominant type of inheritance. A total of 23 marker loci were identified. Five of these loci were found to be monomorphic. Two markers exhibited multiple nonspecific or unclear DNA fragments. The remaining 16 markers revealed polymorphism within the sample group: the number of alleles (na) ranged from 2 to 4, the effective number of alleles (ne) ranged from 1.1 to 3.76, and the polymorphic information content (PIC) index ranged from 0.09 to 0.55. The discriminatory potential of the marker system was moderate. The tested markers differentiated all of the studied rapeseed samples. However, these markers generally do not meet the criteria necessary for developing rapeseed genetic certification technology. The search for optimal markers will continue.