Constructing a genetic linkage map of Vitis aestivalis-derived “Norton” and its use in comparing Norton and Cynthiana

The first microsatellite-based linkage map for Vitis aestivalis was constructed using 183 progeny from the crosses of V. aestivalis-derived “Norton” and V. vinifera “Cabernet Sauvignon”. A total of 1157 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were tested, 859 were amplified via PCR and 413 were polymorphic for at least one parent. The map for Norton consisted of 376 markers and covered 1496.6 centimorgan (cM) on 19 chromosomes. The consensus map consisted of 411 markers on 19 linkage groups with a total distance of 1678.6 cM. Although isozyme and SSR marker analyses in 1993 and 2009 provided preliminary evidence that Norton and Cynthiana grapes are genetically identical, only five banding patterns and four microsatellite loci were reported. This study characterized the relationship between these two cultivars using 185 microsatellites spanning 19 linkage groups for a genome-wide analysis. Four accessions of Norton and three accessions of Cynthiana were used; capillary electrophoresis results revealed Norton and Cynthiana to be identical at all selected loci.