Genetic Diversity in the Highbush Blueberry Evaluated with Microsatellite Markers

Sixty-nine accessions representing wild and domesticated highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) germplasm were genotyped using 28 simple sequence repeats (SSRs). A total of 627 alleles was detected and unique fingerprints were generated for all accessions. Suspected duplicate accessions of 'Coville' and 'Ivanhoe' had DNA fingerprints that were identical to 'Coville' and 'Ivanhoe', respectively. Genetic similarity measures placed wild and cultivated blueberries in separate groups. Northern highbush blueberries grouped among ancestral clones that were used extensively in blueberry breeding such as 'Rubel' and 'Stanley'. Southern highbush blueberries formed a separate group from northern highbush blueberries. The microsatellite markers used here show excellent promise for further use in germplasm identification, in genetic studies of wild Vaccinium L. populations, and for constructing linkage maps.