Plant & Animal Genome VI Conference

P44

SPECIES-SPECIFIC PCR MARKERS FOR SUGARCANE AND RELATED TAXA

USDA-ARS, Southern Regional Research Center, Sugarcane Research Unit, P. O. Box 470, Houma, LA 70361-0470

The objective of this study was to develop species-specific PCR markers for F₁ progeny selection in sugarcane breeding. Generic primers P1 and P2 primed DNA products from the 5S ribosomal DNA spacer were obtained from elite sugarcane varieties and several related species including Saccharum officinarum, S. spontaneum, Erianthus spp., three cytotypes (2n = 30, 60, and 90) of S. giganteum, Miscanthus sinensis, maize, and sorghum. The PCR products exhibited some length polymorphisms and Southern blot experiments indicated that PCR products from various taxa did not always cross hybridize. These PCR products were cloned into a plasmid vector and sequenced. We will discuss sequence variations among these taxa and the prospects for developing species-specific PCR markers to screen for hybrids among inter-taxa crosses.