Cross-transferability analysis of SSR markers developed from the American Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) to other Vaccinium species of agricultural importance

Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) breeding is evolving as consumer demand increases for specialty products such as sweetened and dried cranberries. New varieties are needed with not only higher yield and better adaptations to biotic (e.g., fungal fruit rot) and abiotic (e.g., cold tolerance) stressors, but also with increased fruit quality for processing and human nutrition. Cranberry is one of the few species in the genus Vaccinium that is utilized as a crop. However, the genus is composed of many understudied and underused species, such as wild blueberries and cranberries, lingonberries, and deerberries. Many of these species are cross-compatible and possess an array of traits of high agronomical value that may be commercially exploited through intrasectional or intersectional interspecific breeding. In order to provide a toolset for Vaccinium breeders, we tested the cross-transferability of 507 V. macrocarpon simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers on 17 different Vaccinium species. We found 61 SSR markers that consistently amplified and produced scorable bands across all 17 species tested. The ability of the markers to discriminate species based on their genetic relationships was tested for future use in phylogenetics. We genetically discriminated the different species and sections of the genus, providing an insightful look into the genetic relationship of species in this genus. These markers represent a working set of SSRs to use for the development of Vaccinium interspecific hybrids and to allow the development of population genetic studies of poorly understood species.