Premise of the study: We developed microsatellites for Panicum hallii for studies of gene flow, population structure, breeding experiments, and genetic mapping.
Methods and results: Next-generation (454) genomic sequence data were used to design markers. Eighteen robust markers were discovered, 15 of which were polymorphic across six accessions of P. hallii var. hallii. Fourteen of the markers cross-amplified in a P. capillare accession. For the 15 polymorphic markers, the total number of alleles per locus ranged from two to 26 (mean: 11.0) across six populations (11-19 individuals per population). Observed heterozygosity (mean: 0.031) was 13.7 times lower than the expected heterozygosity (mean: 0.426).
Conclusions: The deficit of heterozygous individuals is consistent with P. hallii having a high rate of self-fertilization. These markers will be useful for studies in P. hallii and related species.