Chloroplast microsatellite primers for cacao (Theobroma cacao) and other Malvaceae.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Chloroplast microsatellites were developed in Theobroma cacao to examine the genetic diversity of cacao cultivars in Trinidad and Tobago. METHODS AND RESULTS: Nine polymorphic microsatellites were designed from the chloroplast genomes of two T. cacao accessions. These microsatellites were tested in 95 hybrid accessions from Trinidad and Tobago. An average of 2.9 alleles per locus was found. CONCLUSIONS: These chloroplast microsatellites, particularly the highly polymorphic pentameric repeat, were useful in assessing genetic variation in T. cacao. In addition, these markers should also prove to be useful for population genetic studies in other species of Malvaceae.