here - First Legume Society Conference (LSC1)

Book of Abstracts First Legume Society Conference 2013: A Legume Odyssey Novi Sad, Serbia, 9-11 May 2013
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Selection of elite molecular markers and their role in cultivar identification in
subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.)
Kioumars Ghamkhar 1,2 , Phil Nichols 3 , Mark Holland 3 , Rudi Appels 4
1 GIn Silico Pty Ltd, Blackburn North, Vic 3130, Australia
2 Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture , The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
3 Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, South Perth, Australia
4 Centre for Comparative genomics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) is reviving as the elite pasture legume in southern
Australia for breeders, since its first molecular maps were published last year. Australian
Trifolium Genetic Resource Centre (ATCRG) based at the Department of Agriculture and Food
Western Australia (DAFWA), holds an estimated 8,000 accessions of T. subterraneum. This is the
largest collection followed by a collection of 2,000 accessions in Spain. A core collection was
developed using molecular and non-molecular data, downsizing the whole collection to about 1%
of the original size. Molecular markers were then selected based on their level of diversity among
the accessions of subterranean clover for screening the current cultivars of the species. A subset
of elite markers showed considerable reliability in cultivar discrimination even amongst the
cultivars with the most similarly looking seeds. These results are indicating the potential use of
these markers for seed quality/purity and cultivar identification for seed companies before
distribution to farmers. It may be concluded that a set of carefully selected and elite molecular
markers will enable the seed industry to guarantee its subterranean clover seed quality.
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