Development and characterization of microsatellites, clone identification, and determination of genetic relationships among Rhus succedanea L. Individuals

To assist in the breeding and identification of Rhus succedanea L., which is cultivated in Japan to produce wax from its fruit, 12 microsatellite markers were developed from 96 clones sequenced from a genomic library generated from the traditional cultivar 'Ikichi'. Using these markers, 50 genotypes were identified in 82 individuals (designated "the western group") representing traditional cultivars and associated materials that have been selected from populations in western Japan and conserved for use in a breeding program. In a further analysis, of the 82 previously mentioned individuals and others from Chiba and Okinawa populations, 88 different genotypes were detected, with numbers of alleles per locus ranging from 3 to 19 and expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.22 to 0.85. Each traditional cultivar and old individual in the western group was closely genetically related to other trees in the group. In addition, according to Principal Coordinate Analysis, using Dice similarity coefficients based on the 88 genotypes, and pairwise FST values, the western group and the Chiba populations were considerably more closely related to each other than to the Okinawa populations. The implications of the findings for the future breeding of R. succedanea in Japan are discussed.