CHLOROPLAST DNA INVESTIGATIONS IN WILD AND CULTIVATED Prunus avium AND IN ITS CONGENERS

Institute of Forest Genetics, Federal Forest Research Centre, Hauptstrasse 7, A-1140 Vienna, Austria

The genus Prunus contains forest, fruit, and ornamental trees and shrubs of a wide variety. Prunus avium (bird cherry) is native to Central Europe, occurring as solitary trees or groups of only a few trees in hardwood forests. At the same time, fruit tree cultivars (sweet cherry), thought to have originated from this species, have been cultivated and spread over Europe since Greek and Roman times. From a forestry standpoint, genetic introgression of traits from fruit cultivars into the genepool of the wild species is unwanted. We are therefore investigating chloroplast DNA as a possible source for polymorphic markers. Chloroplast genes and spacers were PCR-amplified using conserved primers, and digested with frequently cutting restriction enzymes. While there are numerous polymorphisms between the different Prunus species growing in Central Europe, only a few are present within Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus (sour cherry). One polymorphism differentiates between two groups of cultivated cherry varieties, with one group being identical to the Austrian bird cherries investigated to date. These preliminary findings suggest that some cherry cultivars may have their roots, directly or by maternal linage, in clones introduced to Central Europe throughout history.