Identification of two SRAP markers linked to green skin color in cucumber.

Fruit color is a very important trait in cucumber. In this study, bulked segregant analysis (BSA) was used to identify sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP) markers linked to green skin color. We used a segregating F 2 population consisting of 123 seedlings from a cross between WD3 with green skin and B-2-2 with white skin (WD3×B-2-2) to identify closely-linked markers with fruit color. Linkage analysis identified two alleles, ME9EM1-300 and ME8EM14-425 associated with green skin color. These markers were 6.0 and 8.3 cM, respectively, from the skin color locus. By using these molecular markers, cucumber breeding could be accelerated; breeders could identify and select plants able to produce green skin color fruits at the seedling stage without waiting until the mature fruit stage.