Xi Chen¹ , Yue Yang² , Degang Zhao^1,2

1 Plant Conservation & Breeding Technology Center, Guizhou Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology / Guizhou Institute of Prataculture, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang, 550006, China
2 National-local Joint Engineering Research Center of Karst Region Plant Resources Utilization & Breeding (Guizhou), College of Life Sciences/Institute of AgroBioengineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China
Author    Correspondence author
Plant Gene and Trait, 2024, Vol. 15, No. 6   
Received: 23 Oct., 2024    Accepted: 25 Nov., 2024    Published: 03 Dec., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Eucommia ulmoides is a dioecious plant with significant ecological and economic value, but its sex is difficult to identify at the juvenile stage using traditional morphological methods, resulting in low breeding efficiency and affecting commercial cultivation. To address this challenge, this study provides an in-depth analysis of the application of several sex-specific molecular markers in sex identification of E. ulmoides, with a focus on the male-specific markers that have been identified, such as the MSL4 locus and the 247 bp SCAR marker. These molecular markers can accurately distinguish male and female individuals at an early developmental stage, demonstrating high reliability and stability. They offer significant advantages in improving breeding efficiency, accelerating seedling selection, and optimizing resource allocation. Furthermore, these markers play a crucial role in promoting the commercial cultivation and resource management of E. ulmoides, providing technical support for industry development. Future research will focus on optimizing the application of these molecular markers and exploring their potential in other dioecious plants. This study provides a strong theoretical basis and technical guidance for sex identification and molecular breeding in related species.

Eucommia ulmoides; Sex-specific markers; Dioecious plants; Molecular breeding; Marker-assisted selection