Microsatellites as markers for Australian wheat improvement

Microsatellite markers have been shown to be highly polymorphic and simple to use in hexaploid wheat. This study aimed to establish microsatellites as informative markers for Australian wheat improvement. By screening microsa tellites developed as part of the Wheat Microsatellite Consortium and other available microsatellite sources, 257 informative microsatellites for Aust ralian wheat varieties were identified and reported in the Australian Natio nal Wheat Molecular Marker Program microsatellite database (http://www.scu. edu.au/research/cpcg/). Of these, 151 microsatellites identifying 172 loci were scored on at least 1 of 4 double haploid mapping populations and were then integrated, where possible, into existing genetic maps. Polymorphism i nformation content values were calculated for most microsatellites to estab lish a reference for their value for future investigations. The mapping of available microsatellites enhances the quality of the genetic maps and may provide useful genetic markers for traits of interest to the Australian whe at breeding programs.