Development and Characterization of Microsatellite Markers from an Enriched Genomic Library of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)

The development, characterization and application of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) microsatellite markers was accomplished using a library‐enrichment procedure. Fifty‐seven primer pairs flanking the microsatellite repeats were used for DNA amplification. Sixteen C. sativus accessions were assessed for polymorphisms using 45 primer pairs. The average number of alleles per locus was 3.6, and up to seven alleles were found at one locus. The maximum polymorphism information content value was 0.78 with an average of 0.47. The cucumber microsatellite makers could be useful for seed purity control in hybridity testing. Some of these cucumber markers were transferable to other cucurbit species (i.e. melon, watermelon, pumpkin and bitter gourd).