Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Development and Application In Danthonia Spicata.

Danthonia spicata is a native cool-season grass species that is often found in low maintenance turf stands on poor quality soils in the eastern U.S.  D. spicata forms two types of seed heads chasmogamous terminal seed heads and cleistogamous seed heads at each node of the flowering stem.  The cleistogamous seed heads never emerge from the subtending leaf and therefore progeny from these seed heads are all the result of self-fertilization.  The level of outcrossing from seed produced on terminal chasmogamous seed heads has never been estimated because no D. spicata genetic markers have been available.  Four hundred thirty nine SSR primer pairs were developed from a random sheared genomic DNA sequencing project on a 454 high throughput DNA sequencer.  The SSR markers were used to screen 200 plants from 3 different native D. spicata populations.  The data will be analyzed using the Multilocus Mating System Program (MLTR) to determine population-based estimates of the outcrossing rates in D. spicata.  In addition, these SSR markers will be useful for the evaluation of the genetic diversity of this potential low-maintenance turfgrass species.