Abstract

Pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) is widely popular in Thailand and around the world and known for its unique sweet and crisp flavor. However, the sweetness of pineapple has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers and farmers due to its direct correlation with the quality of the produce. Molecular marker technology related to genes controlling sweetness has been utilized to improve fresh-eating pineapple varieties to meet market demands. This special study aims to validate molecular markers associated with sweetness in fresh-eating pineapples within the MD2 x Trat Sithong population. The methodology involved collecting 100 samples from 100 pineapple genotypes in Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province. DNA was extracted using the CTAB method and quantified using a Nanodrop machine. DNA amplification was performed via PCR using the molecular markers umc1478 and umc1674, and the validity of the DNA markers was evaluated using gel electrophoresis. The results showed that the molecular marker umc1478 did not produce any DNA bands, making it unusable, while the umc1674 marker displayed DNA bands in the range of 100-200 bp on the agarose gel, indicating its potential applicability. When compared with the sweetness phenotype of each sample, the DNA band size was not correlated with the °Brix value in the pineapple samples. Therefore, this molecular marker cannot be used to assess sweetness in pineapple.