Abstract
Apple (Malus × domestica) is economically one of the most important fruit crops in the world, with several thousand described varieties of which only a small number is commercially grown. Characterisation of genetic resources of apple is usually based on morphological traits, which are modulated by environmental and ecological factors, and for this reason pomological description needs to be complemented by molecular approaches. Ten accessions assigned to the apple cultivars 'Antonovka', 'Laxton's Superb' and 'Worcester Pearmain' were derived from several germplasm collections in Europe and analysed at 14 variable microsatellite loci. In order to verify their assignment, the molecular genetic data were compared to a database containing molecular genetic profiles of reference varieties. Within the five accessions of different origin maintained as 'Antonovka', two genotypes were identified, which could be assigned as the common 'Antonovka' and 'Antonovka polutorafuntowaja'. All the three accessions of 'Laxton's Superb' displayed the same genotype that was consequently considered to be authentic, and the comparison with the entries of the database enabled to reveal the probable parent pair for this cultivar. For the two accessions of 'Worcester Pearmain', the comparative database approach allowed to recognise a misidentification in one of the two germplasm collections. A comparative analysis of different accessions of a cultivar from independent origins and the constitution of a database are required, in order to contribute to a reliable determination of apple cultivars maintained in germplasm collections. © 2012 The Author(s).