The first doubled haploid linkage map for cultivated oat

To date, all linkage maps of hexaploid oat (Avena sativa L.) have been constructed using recombinant inbred lines (RILs). Doubled haploids (DHs), however, have the advantage over RILs of their comprehensive homozygosity. DHs have been used for mapping in several cereal species, but in oats the production of large DH populations has only recently become an option. A linkage map of hexaploid oat was constructed using an anther culture-derived DH population (137 individuals) from the F1 individuals of a cross between the Finnish cultivar 'Aslak' and the Swedish cultivar 'Matilda'. The map is composed of 28 linkage groups containing 625 DNA markers: 375 AFLPs (amplified fragment length polymorphisms), 3 IRAPs (inter-retrotransposon amplified polymorphisms), 12 ISSRs (inter simple sequence repeats), 12 microsatellites, 57 RAPDs (random amplified polymorphic DNAs), 59 REMAPs (retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphisms), 105 SRAPs (sequence-related amplified polymorphisms), and 2 SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms). The total map size is 1526 cM. Over half of the markers in the map showed distorted segregation, with alleles from 'Aslak' usually prevailing. This is explained by the better performance of 'Aslak' in anther culture. Quantitative trait loci affecting some important quality and agronomic traits are being localized on the map.