Development of a sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker associated with high rooting ability in Larix

In this study, bulked segregant analysis (BSA) was used on Larix leptolepis × Larix olgensis hybrids to identify a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker associated with high rooting ability in larch. Two DNA bulks: H (high rooting ability) bulk and L (low rooting ability) bulk were constructed according to the rooting percentages of the stock plants. Among the 328 primers, only S356 could amplify a specific band, named S356445, which only existed in the H bulk and was further confirmed following selective genotyping of individual hybrids. Grounded on the border sequences, S356445 was converted to a sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker, HRL445, which can be useful in marker-assisted selection (MAS) to screen for larch with high rooting ability. All the results strongly indicated that S356445 and HRL445 were closely associated with high rooting ability in larch.