The carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) is one of the major floricultural crops, not only in Japan but also worldwide. However, carnation production in Japan faces severe problems, such as the surge in carnations imported from overseas, e.g. Colombia and China, the slump in prices, and aging of growers. In 2010, imports accounted for 46.2% of the carnation market in Japan 30 , the highest proportion of any ornamental plant. One of a range of strategies needed to break out of the present situation is "Breeding revolutionary new cultivars." Japanese growers must produce fresher and better quality carnations to compete with imports. Growers cannot compete with imports on quality using the same cultivars used by exporting countries because the climatic conditions, including day length and temperature, are more favorable for carnation production in exporting countries than in Japan. It is desirable to develop an original Japanese cultivar suitable for the Japanese climate and appealing to Japanese consumers. To achieve this, revolutionary techniques to produce new cultivars within a short period are needed.The extensive study of plant genomes has sparked a revolution in molecular technique, while molecular markers have facilitated research into genetic variation at the DNA level. Marker-assisted selection (MAS), a method using DNA markers closely linked to relevant traits, holds great promise as a means of boosting the efficiency of the breeding line selection process. MAS enables accurate selection regardless of environmental factors and is possible even at the seedling stage, provided DNA can be extracted. MAS has been used in many crop breeding programs, and many commercial cultivars have been developed 40 . In ornamentals, expectations for the practical application of molecular markers have increased 4, 9, 32 . In recent years, floricultural research has focused on constructing genetic linkage maps and mapping genes for disease resistance, flower color, and other traits. This report reviews recent progress in the development of markers in carnation breeding for resistance to carnation bacterial wilt (CBW) by the NARO Institute of Floricultural Science (NIFS, Ibaraki, Japan).
AbstractCarnation bacterial wilt (CBW), caused by Burkholderia caryophylli, is one of the most damaging diseases affecting carnations in Japan. In this study, carnation breeding was conducted using CBW resistance derived from Dianthus capitatus ssp. andrzejowskianus. To map the genetic loci involved in resistance to CBW and develop the linked markers, the first molecular linkage map for carnation was constructed by using 134 progeny derived from a cross between 'Carnation Nou No. 1' (an interspecific hybrid of carnation and D. capitatus) and 'Pretty Favvare', a susceptible cultivar. The map consisted of 146 DNA markers and covered 16 linkage groups. QTL analysis identified a QTL with a significant effect and two QTLs with small effects. Evaluation of disease incidence in relation to the presence of the STS-WG44 marker, which is linked to a ...