Segregation distortion in cotton

Abstract

A BC2F1 population was developed from the cross between Gossypium hirsutum (AADD), the most widely cultivated cotton species, and G.\xa0armourianum, a non-progenitor D-genome wild species, (using G.\xa0hirsutum as the recurrent parent) in order to transfer some useful characteristics from G.\xa0armourianum. Here, we report the pattern of transmission of the donor G.\xa0armourianum alleles in the backcross derivatives. Of the 100 SSR markers used to document polymorphism between the parents, 52 were observed to be polymorphic. Eight (15.4%) of these 52 markers were amplified in the BC1F1 plant in contrast to the expected Mendelian ratio of 50%, thus showing segregation distortion. The range of transmission of these markers in BC2F1 generation varied from 38.1% through 75.0%. Two SSR markers namely TMB 1271 and NAU 6316 followed non-Mendelian segregation and were transmitted in higher frequency than expected in the BC2F1 progeny.