Isolation and characterization of six novel microsatellite markers for mulberry (Morus indica)

Genetic characterization of germplasm resources is necessary for their effective management and efficient utilization, especially for species like mulberry in which the available germplasm exhibits rich phenotypic diversity with almost no information about its genetic base. Here we present the first report on the isolation of six novel microsatellite markers of mulberry, developed from an enriched genomic library of Morus indica. These markers revealed a high degree of polymorphism (14-26 alleles per locus; polymorphic information content, 0.85-0.90) and a broad cross-species affinity when tested on a set of 43 elite genotypes including 13 related Morus species. The data thus demonstrate their utility as potentially efficient genetic markers for germplasm characterization, crop improvement and molecular systematics of mulberry.