Gene is Associated With Sex Determination in .

In the past decade, progress has been made in sex determination mechanism in . However, genes responsible for sexual differentiation and its mechanism in remain unknown. Here, we identify a sex determination candidate gene coding adenine phosphoribosyl transferase 3 () in . Cloning and sequencing of the gene allowed us to develop a molecular marker able to discriminate female individuals from males or hermaphrodites based on a 22-bp InDel. Gene expression and endogenous cytokinin content analysis revealed that the gene is involved in sex determination or, to be precise, in female organ differentiation, through regulating cytokinin metabolism in . This study enlarged the understanding of sex determination mechanism in the genus , and the sex marker could be used as a helpful tool for sexual identification in breeding programs as well as in investiation and collection of germplasms.