Microsatellite markers for the Chinese herbaceous peony Paeonia lactiflora (Paeoniaceae)

Abstract

Premise of the study: Microsatellite (simple sequence repeat, SSR) primers were developed for the Chinese peony, P. lactiflora, to investigate the diversity within Chinese peony germplasm resources.

Methods and results: Using an SSR-enriched genomic library, a set of 10 unique polymorphic genomic SSRs was developed and characterized. The primers amplified 61 alleles in all 10 loci, including di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide repeats. The primers were also effective for P. veitchii and P. obovata.

Conclusions: The new primers will be useful for genetic research of the Chinese peony and extend the repertoire of SSR markers available to study the herbaceous taxa in Paeonia.