Additional microsatellites of the European hazelnut

Sixteen microsatellite-containing sequences were identified in enriched genomic libraries of the European hazelnut, Corylus avellana L. Of these, seven amplified multiple loci, one was difficult to score and eight amplified polymorphic single loci. Amplification and polymorphism of these eight primer pairs in 20 cultivars of C. avellana were initially determined by electrophoresis using 3% agarose gels. Forward primers were then fluorescently labelled and allele sizes determined by capillary electrophoresis. The addition of PIG-tails to five reverse primers was necessary to eliminate split peaks. Three microsatellite markers (CAC-AC115, CAC-B005 and CAC-B014) reliably distinguished among the cultivars. Microsatellite markers will be used to fingerprint the hazelnut genotypes in our collection and identify duplicate accessions.