The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic Markers
Almond cultivation has great traditional and economic relevance in Southern Italy, especially in the Apulia region, where almond trees feature an ample and ancient varietal richness. To contrast the loss of plant genetic erosion and to safeguard the available bioresources, as well as to reinforce th...
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MDPI AG
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/4/574 |
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| author | Michele Antonio Savoia Loredana Del Faro Pasquale Venerito Liliana Gaeta Marino Palasciano Cinzia Montemurro Wilma Sabetta |
| author_facet | Michele Antonio Savoia Loredana Del Faro Pasquale Venerito Liliana Gaeta Marino Palasciano Cinzia Montemurro Wilma Sabetta |
| author_sort | Michele Antonio Savoia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Almond cultivation has great traditional and economic relevance in Southern Italy, especially in the Apulia region, where almond trees feature an ample and ancient varietal richness. To contrast the loss of plant genetic erosion and to safeguard the available bioresources, as well as to reinforce the local production, the regional Re.Ge.Fru.P. project aimed to re-evaluate, identify, and characterize the Apulian almond germplasm that is still uncharacterized and not jet studied using a dual (genetic and morphological) approach. Collection was conducted in the regional territory of 187 among the most widespread and minor or marginalized genotypes that were molecularly fingerprinted by means of 18 nuclear microsatellites (simple sequence repeats, SSRs). The high number of scored alleles reflected the great level of diversification within the Apulian germplasm, as also confirmed by neighbor joining and structure analysis, that clearly distinguished different genotype clusters. The phenotypic characterization using 17 morphological and phenological descriptors mirrored the genetic results, revealing a high degree of variability. The morphological traits with the best discriminatory ability were nut ventral suture, shell softness and shape and petal color. This work emphasizes the importance of recovering the genetic variability of Apulian almond germplasm, and the need to promote added value and enhance the local agri-food economy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:12:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b87e47c1af164e90b61f2d3f4d1dbdc2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:12:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-b87e47c1af164e90b61f2d3f4d1dbdc22023-11-23T21:43:37ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-02-0111457410.3390/plants11040574The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic MarkersMichele Antonio Savoia0Loredana Del Faro1Pasquale Venerito2Liliana Gaeta3Marino Palasciano4Cinzia Montemurro5Wilma Sabetta6Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, ItalyCRSFA-Centro Ricerca, Sperimentazione e Formazione in Agricoltura “Basile Caramia”, Via Cisternino 281, 70010 Locorotondo, ItalyCRSFA-Centro Ricerca, Sperimentazione e Formazione in Agricoltura “Basile Caramia”, Via Cisternino 281, 70010 Locorotondo, ItalyCouncil for Agricultural Research and Economics-Agriculture and Environment Research Centre (CREA-AA), Via Celso Ulpiani 5, 70125 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, ItalySpin Off Sinagri s.r.l., University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, ItalyAlmond cultivation has great traditional and economic relevance in Southern Italy, especially in the Apulia region, where almond trees feature an ample and ancient varietal richness. To contrast the loss of plant genetic erosion and to safeguard the available bioresources, as well as to reinforce the local production, the regional Re.Ge.Fru.P. project aimed to re-evaluate, identify, and characterize the Apulian almond germplasm that is still uncharacterized and not jet studied using a dual (genetic and morphological) approach. Collection was conducted in the regional territory of 187 among the most widespread and minor or marginalized genotypes that were molecularly fingerprinted by means of 18 nuclear microsatellites (simple sequence repeats, SSRs). The high number of scored alleles reflected the great level of diversification within the Apulian germplasm, as also confirmed by neighbor joining and structure analysis, that clearly distinguished different genotype clusters. The phenotypic characterization using 17 morphological and phenological descriptors mirrored the genetic results, revealing a high degree of variability. The morphological traits with the best discriminatory ability were nut ventral suture, shell softness and shape and petal color. This work emphasizes the importance of recovering the genetic variability of Apulian almond germplasm, and the need to promote added value and enhance the local agri-food economy.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/4/574<i>Prunus dulcis</i>microsatellitesphenotypic descriptorslocal biodiversity safeguard |
| spellingShingle | Michele Antonio Savoia Loredana Del Faro Pasquale Venerito Liliana Gaeta Marino Palasciano Cinzia Montemurro Wilma Sabetta The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic Markers Plants <i>Prunus dulcis</i> microsatellites phenotypic descriptors local biodiversity safeguard |
| title | The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic Markers |
| title_full | The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic Markers |
| title_fullStr | The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic Markers |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic Markers |
| title_short | The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic Markers |
| title_sort | relevance of discovering and recovering the biodiversity of apulian almond germplasm by means of molecular and phenotypic markers |
| topic | <i>Prunus dulcis</i> microsatellites phenotypic descriptors local biodiversity safeguard |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/4/574 |
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