Browsing by Author "Vuorinen, Katariina"

Identification of apple species (Malus Mill.) has traditionally depended on morphological descriptions. Cultivar identification based completely on characteristics is problematic at best as original descriptions are often lacking. Additionally authenticity of nursery products has been criticised in Finland since early 20th century. As DNA and molecular methods have developed, new ways of species and cultivar identification have emerged. Microsatellites have proven to be especially useful for identifying individual genotypes and for defining genetic polymorphism within a chosen population. Markers designed for apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) function on all apple species making them extremely useful for Malus research. In our study, DNA fingerprinting was carried out with nine microsatellite markers copying 12 loci. Study material consisted of 201 samples representing 200 accessions. Most of the 99 study samples were from Finnish nurseries. Reference samples were gained from various botanical collections from North America and Europe. Altogether 47 study samples were re-identified or their original names authenticated. 52 samples remained nameless or unauthenticated. Two KESKAS cultivars were renamed as DNA-fingerprints revealed their true identity. Microsatellite fingerprinting proved to be a suitable method for ornamental crab apple cultivar authentication. False naming of nursery propagation material was evident and future studies are needed to illustrate the problem further.