Genetic characterization of fig tree mutants with  molecular markers.
The fig (Ficus carica L.) is a fruit tree of  great world importance and, therefore, the genetic improvement becomes an  important field of research for better crops, being necessary to gather  information on this species, mainly regarding its genetic variability so that  appropriate propagation projects and management are made. The improvement  programs of fig trees using conventional procedures in order to obtain new  cultivars are rare in many countries, such as Brazil, especially due to the  little genetic variability and to the difficulties in obtaining plants from  gamete fusion once the wasp Blastophaga psenes, responsible for the  natural pollinating, is not found in Brazil. In this way, the mutagenic genetic  improvement becomes a solution of it. For this reason, in an experiment  conducted earlier, fig plants formed by cuttings treated with gamma ray were  selected based on their agronomic characteristics of interest. We determined  the genetic variability in these fig tree selections, using RAPD and AFLP  molecular markers, comparing them to each other and to the Roxo-de-Valinhos,  used as the standard. For the reactions of DNA amplification, 140 RAPD primers  and 12 primer combinations for AFLP analysis were used. The selections did not  differ genetically between themselves and between them and the Roxo-de-Valinhos  cultivar. Techniques that can detect polymorphism between treatments, such as  DNA sequencing, must be tested. The phenotypic variation of plants may be due  to epigenetic variation, necessitating the use of techniques with  methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes.
Departamento de Genética, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil. gabrielafontanetti@hotmail.com
M G F
MG
Rodrigues
A B G
AB
Martins
J A
JA
Desidério
B W
BW
Bertoni
M C
MC
Alves
D054458:Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis; D001938:Brazil; D030681:Ficus / Q000235:genetics*; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics; D005819:Genetic Markers; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D014197:Trees / Q000235:genetics*
D005819:Genetic Markers