Inter-specific hybrids in Areca spp.: Verification using SCoT markers

Disease resistance has been a major goal in crop improvement programmes in arecanut (Areca catechu L.), where the fruit rot disease or Mahali, caused by Phytophthora meadii, is a major production constraint in India. The wild Areca spp., such as A. triandra and A. concinna, have been reported to possess resistance to P. meadii. Developing inter-specific hybrids between A. catechu and A. triandra or A. concinna could be one of the strategies to introgress the disease-resistant trait from the wild Areca spp. into cultivated arecanut. In this study, we report the utilization of start codon targeted (SCoT) markers to differentiate A. catechu from A. triandra and A. concinna and the development of sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers to enable authentication of true inter-specific hybrids between them. The technique would effectively verify inter-specific hybrids at the seedling stage itself.