Transferability of Dactylis glomerata EST-SSR markers to four grass species

In order to test the transferability of orchardgrass EST-SSR in several grass species in Gramineae and select some reliable markers used in followed-up studies, 40 orchardgrass EST-SSR, which can amplify products successfully in orchardgrass, were analysed to determine the transferability, genetic diversity and relationship of 18 materials including 6 Lolium multiflorum, 6 Festuca arundinacea, 3 Hemarthria compressa and H. altissima. The cross-transferability of these markers was found to be 60% in L. multiflorum and F. arundinacea, while 50% in H. compressa and H. altissima. Together, the 25 EST-SSRs detected 128 bands. In these 128 bands, 121 were polymorphic (94.53%) and the average number was 4.92 per primer, and the polymorphic information content (PIC) ranged from 0.75 to 1 with an average of 0.952. The similarity coefficient of the 18 materials ranged from 0.208 to 0.974, with an average of 0.490, and UPGMA cluster analysis grouped them into four groups at the similarity level of 0.68. This study confirmed that it was feasible that the EST-SSRs developed from orchardgrass EST sequences can cross to some related species. Those transferable markers will give some reference to breeding work in Gramineae.