Localization of genes for lateral branch and female sex expression and construction of a molecular linkage map in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) with RAPD markers.

A cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) molecular linkage map, including 79 random-amplified polymorphic DNAS (RAPD) and two genes, lb for lateral branch and f for female sex expression, is constructed from a cross between a line, S52, with weak lateral growing ability and staminate from Dabieshan Mountains area in China and another line, S06, with strong lateral growing ability and gynoecious from Europe. The map contains nine linkage groups and spans 1110.0cM with an average distance of 13.7cM between loci. The lb locus is located in a longer linkage group LG-2 and flanked by two markers, OP-Q5-1 and OP-M-2-2, at 9.3 cM and 15.9 cM, respectively. In the meantime, the RAPD loci, OP-Q5-2 and BC151, in a short linkage group were found to flank f at 13.7cM and 13.4 cM, respectively. The construction of RAPD map has paved a way for further study of the genes for lateral branch, female sex expression and other agronomic traits in cucumber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]