Preliminary genetic linkagr map in poplar

The genus Populus consists of dioecious woody species. Its genome has been sequenced and it is considered a model plant for forest trees. Poplar, for its economic weight, is an interesting species at agronomic level, but genetic information on agronomically relevant traits is largely unknown. In this work, the development of a genetic linkage map based on an F1 hybrid population derived from an inter-specific mating of Populus nigra and Populus deltoides,accessions is described. In a preliminary phase of the two maps generation, 113 Single Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers, polymorphic between the parents, were screened on the 188 plants forming the population. Due to the high level of segregation distortion, only some of them were useful for mapping on the two parents, using the pseudo testcross strategy. The developed genetic linkage maps of Populus nigra and Populus deltoides will represent the base for rust (Melampsora larici populina) QTL mapping, since the two parents differ for resistance response to rust and rust disease represents one of the most damaging diseases for poplar cultivation.