Genomic and cDNA microsatellites from apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)

We developed primers for the amplification of 24 polymorphic nuclear microsatellites in apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.). Thirteen loci originated from three genomic libraries enriched for TC, TG and AAG motifs. Eight loci were developed from three fruit EST (Expressed‐Sequence‐Tag) libraries and three from a leaf cDNA microsatellite‐enriched library. There were up to nine alleles per polymorphic locus in 12 different cultivars. No difference in allele numbers were shown between cDNA and genomic‐source loci. Mean expected heterozygosity was 0.65 (range: 0.15–0.87). Mendelian segregation was confirmed for all loci. These markers should be helpful for diversity studies, genome mapping and cultivar identification in apricot and related species.