ASHS 2024 Conference

There is significant variation in tree size, which determines productivity, in commercial pistachio orchards planted with UCB-1 seedling rootstocks. It has been unclear to extent to which this is due to genetic differences or environmental variation. Nurseries have tried to tackle this problem by rogueing young seedlings before they are planted in orchards. However, our data previously demonstrated that performance in the first year is a poor predictor of later tree size. Genotyping by sequencing data from experimental and commercial orchards and genome wide association studies (GWAS), combined with our chromosome-scale, high quality, genome assemblies for the parental Pistacia atlantica and P. integerrima trees resulted in two highly informative molecular markers for vigor. Based on the genomic sequence information, we developed an inexpensive, quick, and easy qPCR protocol for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker analysis. We were able to predict the improved size distribution that extant orchards would have had if this marker had been used to rogue seedlings prior to planting in the orchards. We want this marker to make it available for nurseries to rogue out trees which would exhibit low vigor and productivity later in an orchard.