Genetically Independent Tetranucleotide to Hexanucleotide Core Motif SSR Markers for Identifying Cultivars.

For the purpose of protecting the rights of breeders, we developed a new simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker set consisting only of genetically independent tetranucleotide or longer core motifs. Using available genome sequences for five strains, we designed primers for 13 SSR markers that amplified polymorphic sequences in 20  cultivars. We evaluated the independence of every possible marker pair based on genotype data. Consequently, eight genetically independent markers were selected. The polymorphic information content values of the markers ranged from 0.269 to 0.764, with an average of 0.409. The markers could distinguish among 20  cultivars and produced highly repeatable and reproducible results. The markers developed in this study will enable the precise identification of cultivars, and may be useful for protecting breeders' rights.