A codominant SCAR marker linked to the genic male sterility gene (ms¹) in chili pepper (Capsicum annuum)

As one of the genic male sterility (GMS) materials in chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), GMS1 has been used for commercial F₁ hybrid seed production. The male sterility of GMS1 is controlled by a recessive nuclear gene, named ms¹. In this study, we developed DNA markers linked to the ms¹ locus using a combination of bulked segregant analysis and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) in a segregating sibling population. From the screening of 1024 AFLP primer combinations, the AFLP marker E-AGC/M-GTG (514 bp) was identified as being linked to the ms¹ locus at a distance of about 3 cM. Based on internal sequencing analysis of the E-AGC/M-GTG marker between male fertile and sterile plants, we identified three small deletions with a size of altogether 42 bp in the male-fertile plant and developed a codominant sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker. This SCAR marker may be valuable for marker-assisted breeding in the hybrid seed production system of chili pepper using the GMS1 line.