Identification of molecular markers linked to determinate growth habit in sesame

This is the first report on molecular studies and tagging of the dt gene regulating determinate growth habit in sesame. The development of determinate cultivars has become an objective of high priority in sesame breeding programmes. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) techniques were investigated for the development of molecular markers for this induced mutant character. In order to identify molecular markers linked to determinate growth habit, a segregating F2 population was developed from a cross between determinate mutant line, dt-1 and an indeterminate Turkish cultivar, Muganlı-57. Using the F2 segregating population and bulked segregant approach, two ISSR marker loci originated from a (CT)8AGC primer were detected. The association was confirmed by analysing the ISSR profile from single plants originating from a F2 segregating population for the trait. This marker is potentially useful for assisting sesame breeding programmes by marker assisted selection and can facilitate the integration of determinate growth habit into new genetic backgrounds.