Analysis of microsatellite loci in tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle) using SSR-GBS

Microsatellite markers are still the marker of choice for many research questions in the field of forest genetics. However, the number of available markers is often low for species that have not been studied intensively like the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). During the last decade, next generation sequencing (NGS) has offered advanced techniques for efficiently identifying microsatellite markers and accurately genotyping samples. Here, we identify new microsatellite markers for the tree of heaven by applying an NGS-based method using the Illumina MiSeq platform. NGS technology was proved to be an effective method for fast and cost-efficient identification of microsatellite markers by implementing a genotyping-by-sequencing approach based on Illumina amplicon sequencing (SSR-GBS). We screened three populations from Eastern Austria for genetic variation at 19 newly identified microsatellite loci. We tested two different genotyping approaches: (1) considering only allele lengths (f...