Genetical and morphological studies on some deciduous fruit rootstocks

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Biotechnology Laboratory of the Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza during the period of 2015- 2017. five strains of shoot tips and stem segments of young branches of pear (Pyrus betulaefolia) rootstock and four strains of shoot tips and stem segments of young branches of Mit-Ghamr peach rootstock (Prunus persica) were the materials of this study. Three experiments were carried out: 1- Molecular detection and identification of pear and peach rootstocks seedy strains. 2- In vitro propagation of pear and peach rootstocks seedy strains. 3- Evaluation of salinity tolerance in vitro. 1. Molecular detection and identification of pear and peach rootstock seedy strains. a. Molecular detection Marker assistant selection (MAS) was used for monitoring the presence or absence of genes as markers as tolerance to salinity of sixteen pear rootstock seedy strains and fifteen peach rootstock seedy strains under investigation. 1. one specific band for BADH gene at 700 bp which was present in all pear rootstock seedy strains except three strains. 2. one specific band for RubisCO gene at 680 bp which was present in all peach rootstock seedy strains. b. Molecular identification Inter simple sequence repeat-PCR (ISSR-PCR) and Start Codon Targeted (SCoT-PCR) were used to assess the genetic variability of the five pear rootstock seedy strains and four peach rootstock seedy strains under investigation. 1. The five and nine used ISSR and SCoT primers for the five pear rootstock seedy strains succeeded in amplifying DNA fragments.