Generation of SNP markers for short straw in oat (Avena sativa L.)

Short straw is a desired trait in oat germplasm (Avena sativa L.). Marker-assisted selection, a key tool for achieving this objective, is limited by the presence and number of available markers. Here, we have attempted to develop markers sufficiently linked to a gene specifying short straw so that marker-assisted selection could be applied. Bulked-segregant analysis was used to identify anonymous PCR-based markers associated with the dwarfing gene Dw6 in an F₂ population from the cross between A. sativa 'Aslak' and A. sativa 'Kontant'. One random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and 1 retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism (REMAP) marker were found to be associated with height. These were converted into codominant single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The SNP-REMAP and the SNP-RAPD markers were located 5.2 and 12.6 cM from Dw6, respectively. They can be used in future efforts both to enhance oat germplasm by application of molecular markers and to determine the nature of the gene through positional cloning.