Molecular markers for salt tolerant wild barley Hordeum spontaneum

The present study aims at detecting molecular markers, based on RAPD, ISSR and AFLP, for the salt-tolerant wild barley Hordeum spontaneum as a little is known about its genetic structure and function. Barley is one of the most important cereal crops all over the world. Therefore, the identification of molecular markers for the salt-tolerant wild species is crucial for the future development of tolerant domesticated varieties of H. vulgare. For comparison, the study involved seven domesticated barley cultivars. Across the three types of molecular markers, a total of 26 species-specific distinguished H. spontaneum from H. vulgare. RAPD markers revealed the highest expected heterozygosity He, E and marker index (MI) values, while ISSR indicated the lowest values. These results indicate the reliability of ISSR as a molecular marker in distinguishing wild and cultivated barley species. Some of these markers can be linked to salt stress tolerance genes in H. spontaneum that can be transferred to domesticated barley (H. vulgare) through marker-assisted selection (MAS). {[}A. Bahieldin, A. M. Ramadan, N. O. Gadalla, A. M. Alzohairy, S. Edris, I. A. Ahmed, A. M. Shokry, S. M. Hassan, O. M. Saleh, M. N. Baeshen, N. A. Radwan, M. A. Al-Kordy, N. Baeshen and F. M. El-Domyati. Molecular markers for salt tolerant wild barley Hordeum spontaneum. Life Sci J 2012;9(4):5838-5847] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 871