Abstract Detail

Systematics Section

Miller, Allison [1], Sampliner, Danielle [2], Al-Shehbaz, Ihsan [3], Romero-Hernandez, Carolina [4], McAllister, Chrissy [5].

Phylogenetic approaches to understanding sterility in crop species: origin and evolution of horseradish (Armoracia rusticana, Brassicaceae).

The ability of cultivated plants to produce viable seeds has critical implications for the evolution of plants under domestication and the conservation of crop genetic resources. Many domesticated perennials exhibit low fertility rates, which can result if the crop is the product of hybrid origin, or is experiencing mate limitation and/or inbreeding depression. Clonal reproduction is a common feature of perennial crops including many fruit trees, vines, tuberous stems, and root crops, and may exacerbate evolutionary processes driving reductions in fertility in these crops. Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana, Brassicaceae), a perennial, clonally propagated herb grown for its pungent root, exhibits limited fertility in cultivation. We are developing horseradish as a model system for understanding the consequences of clonal propagation for the evolution of reproductive systems under domestication. Here, we apply a phylogenetic approach to investigate whether A. rusticana is the product of hybrid origin, and to establish a phylogenetic context for future evolutionary analyses. Geographically widespread samples of A. rusticana, its two congeners (A. macrocarpa and A. sisymbrioides), and related outgroups (Barbarea, Cardamine, Rorippa) were genotyped using seven microsatellite loci, and sequences of the chloroplast-encoded ndhF spacer were generated. These data, together with cytological and morphological data, provide little evidence to support the hybrid origin of A. rusticana. Further, it appears that A. macrocarpa, a native of the Danube River Basin, may be the wild progenitor of domesticated horseradish. Ongoing studies suggest that high frequencies of self-incompatible clones may lead to mate limitation and sterility in horseradish.

Broader Impacts:

Related Links:
Miller Lab Website

1 - Saint Louis University, Biology, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA
2 - Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH, 44106
3 - Missouri Botanical Garden, Po Box 299, St Louis, Missouri, 63166-0299, USA
4 - Saint Louis University, Biology, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63103
5 - Saint Louis Universisty, Biology, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63103

Keywords:
domestication
Brassicaceae
clonal reproduction
hybridization
Armoracia.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 56
Location: 556B/Convention Center
Date: Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Time: 1:30 PM
Number: 56003
Abstract ID:523