Cross amplification of SSR loci in marigold for molecular characterization

The present study was undertaken to develop Simple Sequence Repeats in marigold by evaluating cross amplification from related genera and other taxa as the availability of microsatellite primer is very limited in this crop. A total of 33 primer pairs from Chrysanthemum and carrot were used, of which nine from the former and eight from the latter were selected for generating amplicons. This work confirmed that microsatellite primers developed for a particular species can be used across genera within and between botanical families. The shortlisted primers were utilized to characterize diverse genotypes of marigold to understand the similarities and/or differences between them.