Premium
Genetic structure and preservation strategies of autochthonous vegetable crop landraces of north‐western Italy
Author(s) -
Portis E.,
Baudino M.,
Magurno F.,
Lanteri S.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.2011.00522.x
Subject(s) - biology , genetic erosion , crop , amplified fragment length polymorphism , ex situ conservation , in situ conservation , context (archaeology) , genetic diversity , cultivar , agronomy , genetic structure , hybrid , population , gene pool , agroforestry , microbiology and biotechnology , genetic variation , endangered species , ecology , paleontology , biochemistry , demography , sociology , habitat , gene
A number of horticultural crop landraces are still grown in Piedmont (NW Italy), despite the dominance of improved cultivars and hybrids. Conservation strategies, both in an ex situ and an in situ context are required to prevent their loss. Here we describe an AFLP‐based assessment of the genetic structure of leek, garlic, celery, red beet, cultivated cardoon, sweet pepper and common bean autochthonous landraces. Each landrace was sampled by selecting 3–5 populations representative of the area of cultivation. The genotypic data showed that the crop's breeding system was less important for determining genetic structure than the selection criteria adopted by the producers, the extent of informal seed exchange among producers and natural selection imposed by the local environmental conditions. The genotypic data identified alleles which were common, some which were restricted to a particular locality and some which were either infrequent or rare. On this basis, the most representative population(s) for each landrace were recognised and targeted for conservation. The landraces in study differed markedly from one another with respect to their genetic structure, and so they may represent an appropriate reference model for the management of crop landraces grown in fragmented areas and at risk of genetic erosion or extinction.