Identification and Characterization of Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) Markers Associated with Downy Mildew Resistance Locus “RPV1” in Grapes

The cultivation of grapes is severely impacted by the emergence of downy mildew (DM) disease which negatively affects quality and yield possibly re-sulting in heavy losses. Due to certain shortcomings in the usage of fungicides and the development of new cultivars by plant breeding, marker assisted selection (MAS) will be an efficient alternative method to introduce desired genes into the cultivated varieties in a short time period. The Simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers seem to be the most popular genetic marker of choice for MAS. In the present study, we identified 14 new SSR markers in RPV1 locus that are associated with downy mildew resistance in grapes. The characterization of the identified markers was carried out on the basis of various parameters such as types of repeat motifs, number of repeats, different classes and structure of microsatellites. Additionally, SSR genotyping in 56 different grape accessions was done to determine the susceptibility or resistance of these accessions to DM.