High-yield hybrid breeding of Camellia oleifolia based on ISSR molecular markers

Background C. Oleifera is among the world’s largest four woody plants known for their edible oil production, yet the contribution rate of improved varieties is less than 20%. The species traditional breeding is lengthy cycle (20–30 years), occupation of land resources, high labor cost, and low accuracy and efficiency, which can be enhanced by molecular marker-assisted selection. However, the lack of high-quality molecular markers hinders the species genetic analysis and molecular breeding. Results Through quantitative traits characterization, genetic diversity assessment, and association studies, we generated a selection population with wide genetic diversity, and identified five excellent high-yield parental combinations associated with four reliable high-yield ISSR markers. Early selection criteria were determined based on kernel fresh weight and cultivated 1-year seedling height, aided by the identification of these 4 ISSR markers. Specific assignment of selected individuals as paternal and maternal parents was made to capitalize on their unique attributes. Conclusions Our results indicated that molecular markers-assisted breeding can effectively shorten, enhance selection accuracy and efficiency and facilitate the development of a new breeding system for C. oleifera .