UTILIZATION OF DNA MARKERS OF RICE GENOME PROGRAM FOR GENOMIC STUDIES IN Lolium perenne

¹ Hokkaido National Agricultural Experiment Station, Hitsujigaoka, Sapporo, Hokkaido 062-8555, Japan

² Yamanashi Prefectural Dairy Experiment Station, Nagasaka, Kitakoma, Yamanashi 408-0021, Japan

In Japan , the Rice Genome Program (RGP) has been started since 1991 and a highly dense genetic linkage map of rice was constructed. Research program of DNA-marker assisted selection has been also started in the collaborative study between the RGP and perennial ryegrass breeding unit in Yamanashi Prefectural Dairy Experiment Station since 1994. The first objective of our research program is to clarify the genome specific markers in Lolium / Festuca , complex. We identified some of species- specific cDNA and RAPD markers of RGP. Festuca arundinacea-specific DNA markers have been monitored the progeny derived from inter-generic hybridization between Lolium perenne and Festuca arundinacea. These species-specific DNA markers would be available for the confirmation of gene introduction to Lolium perenne for traits as drought resistance and summer tolerance from Festuca arundinacea. Another program is the construction of genetic mapping of Lolium perenne using the rice probes of RGP in a reference family (P150 / 112) of International Lolium Genome Initiative (ILGI). Some of cDNA markers from callus and root library of RGP were hybridized with DNA of heterozygous parent of a mapping family. We screened for 50 cDNA markers which were polymorphic for a mapping family. These cDNA markers of RGP were used for the construction of genetic linkage map. The data of genetic linkage map would be added to ILGI database. We would be also able to determine the syntenic relationship between the genome of perennial ryegrass and one of rice.