Development of a genetic linkage map of rubber tree (Hevea braziliensis) based on microsatellite markers

Background Rubber tree (Hevea spp.) is the main natural rubber producing crop, and it is cultivated in numerous equatorial, tropical and subtropical areas. Hevea spp. is an outcrossing perennial species and belongs to the botanical family Euphorbiaceae. Breeding of rubber tree, like for many other tree crops, is a long term process. Large scale cultivation of a new cultivar can only be reached after 20–25 years of field experiments on large areas. Breeders are thus interested in developing alternative strategies to improve and speed up the breeding scheme, using genetic markers. Molecular markers are being used for more than 15 years in Hevea breeding, mostly for diversity studies, assessment of genetic distance among cultivars, genetic mapping and identification of genetic loci implied in the expression of agronomical traits.