Characterization of new hazelnut varieties of the National Dendrological Park “Sofiyivka” of NAS of Ukraine using microsatellite markers

Aim. To characterize hazelnut varieties created in the National Dendrological Park “Sofiyivka” of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine using microsatellite markers (SSR) for their subsequent identification and certification. Methods. DNA extraction, molecular genetic analysis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), statistical analysis. Results. The analysis of 10 Corylus spp. accessions, including 7 hazelnut and 3 hazel species, showed polymorphism at all 9 microsatellite (SSR) loci studied. The number of alleles for individual loci varied from 3 to 6, with an average value of 4.6. Based on the SSR analysis data, the allelic composition of hazelnut varieties “Sofiyivskyi 1”, “Sofiyivskyi 2” and “Sofiyivskyi 15” and their parental forms and plants of three Corylus species was characterized. Conclusions. The effectiveness of the applied microsatellite markers for the identification of hazelnut varieties was demonstrated. The identified allelic sets make possible to identify and certify the created hazelnut varieties and can be used in breeding work.