Identification of effective morphological and molecular markers for discrimination ‎and identification of commercial cultivars and promising genotypes of quince ‎‎(Cydonia oblonga Mill.) tree

Recent quince breeding programs has resulted in release of new cultivar Viduja and Behta and presentation of promising Esfahan-2, Esfahan-3 and Esfahan 5 genotypes. This research was conducted to discriminate these cultivars by morphological and molecular markers. Morphological markers were based on 38 characteristics from discrimination, uniformity and stability (DUS) tests, while for molecular markers, 15 primer pairs of apple and pear SSR markers were used. Cluster analysis on morphologic and banding pattern of SSR marker demonstrated distinctness of all evaluated cultivars and promising genotypes. Among morphological markers, tree vigor and growth habit, shoot color and position of bud in relation to the shoot, leaf size and undulation of blades, bloom color and fruit traits were key characteristics. Cultivar Esfahan, based on tree growth habit and fruit shape, cv. Viduja based on tree form and leaf blade undulation, bloom color and flowering time have been discriminated, while in Esfahan-2, Esfahan-3, Behta and Esfahan-5, the fruit shape, position of but in relation to the shoot, fruit neck and finally green-brown of shoot color, respectively were the most discriminative characteristics. In molecular markers, 10 polymorph alleles with mean 3.3 alleles per locus were observed. The highest allele numbers and PIC indices were observed for CH05d04, CH04a12 and CH02b10 primer pairs. Three primer pairs belong to CH04a12, CH05d04 and Ch02b10, SSR loci were more discriminative and three primer pairs, including NH015a, CH04a12 and NB103a with one of the CH01d08, CH05d04 or NH011b were adequately discriminative for all evaluated quinces.