Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Morphological and molecular characterization of Italian emmer wheat accessions

  • Published:
Euphytica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The characterization of 39 Italian ecotypes and cultivars of Triticum turgidum L. spp. dicoccum Shrank ex Schübler (emmer wheat) was performed utilizing agro-morphological and molecular tools. Emmer wheat is a hulled species which grows wild in the Near East and is still cultivated in the Mediterranean Basin. Due to its characteristics, in Italy it is cultivated mainly in marginal lands of central and southern Italy, where local varieties, adapted to the natural environment where they originated, are used. Emmer wheat cultivation has been drastically reduced during the last century as a consequence of its low yield. Nevertheless, more recently, its agronomic and nutritive values, together with its use in health food products, made its cultivation economically viable in the marginal lands with a parallel increase of the cultivated area which is now more than 2000 ha.

In the present paper the results of morphological evaluation, carried out in an experimental field in central Italy using a randomized block design with three replications, and molecular characterization are reported. The analysed material showed distinctive molecular traits and the existence of a huge amount of diversity not only between varieties, but also within them. When the accessions were clustered utilizing their genetic distance, the clusters were not always in agreement with the accessions origins. The obtained results gave information that can be useful for: (i) future registration of material, (ii) germplasm conservation and (iii) use of this valuable source of emmer germplasm for future breeding programmes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barcaccia, G., L. Molinari, O. Porfiri & F. Veronesi, 2002. Molecular characterization of emmer (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) Italian landraces. Genet Res Crop Evol 49: 417–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanco, A., B. Giorgi, P. Perrino & R. Simeone, 1990. Risorse genetiche e miglioramento della qualità del frumento duro. Agric Ric 114: 41–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Codianni, P., G. Galterio, N.E. Pogna & N. Di Fonzo, 2000. Mosè e Padre Pio due nuovi genotipi di farro (Triticum dicoccum Schublcon caratteristiche qualitative di pregio. L'Informatore Agrario 24: 37–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • D'Antuono, L.F., 1989. Il farro: Areali di coltivazione, caratteristiche agronomiche, utilizzazione e prospettive colturali. L'Informatore Agrario 24: 49–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • D'Antuono, L.F. & M. Minelli, 1998. Yield and yield components analysis of emmer wheat (Triticum dicocum Schubler) landraces from Italy. In: A.A. Jaradat (Ed.), Proceedings of the 3rd International Triticeae Symposium, May 4–8, 1997, Aleppo Syria. Science Publisher Inc., USA, pp. 393–404.

  • Damania, A.B., S. Hakim & M.Y. Moualla, 1992. Evaluation of variation in Triticum dicoccum for wheat improvement in stress environment. Hereditas 116: 163–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, W.J. & R. Jennirich, 1990. Stepwise regression. In: W.J. Dixon, M.B. Brown, L. Engelman & R.I. Jennrich (Eds.), BMDP Statistical Software Manual, University of California Press, Berkeley, USA, pp. 359–394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dvorak, J., P.E. Mc Guire & B. Cassidy, 1988. A apparent sources of the A genomes of wheats inferred from polymorphisms in abundance and restriction fragment length of repeated nucleotide sequences. Genome 30: 680–689.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eujayl, I., M.E. Sorrells, M. Baum, P. Wolters & W. Powell, 2002. Isolation of EST-derived microsatellite markers for genotyping the A and B genomes of wheat. Theor Appl Genet 104: 399–407.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Figliuolo, G. & P. Perrino, 2004. Genetic diversity and intra-specific phylogeny of Triticum turgidum L. subsp. dicoccon (Schrank) Thell. revealed by RFLPs and SSRs. Genet Res Crop Evol 51: 519–527.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galterio, G., P. Codianni, G. Novembre, C. Saponaro, N. Di Fonzo & N.E. Pogna, 1998. Storage protein composition and technological characteristics of F6 lines from the cross Triticum turgidum spp. Durum × Triticum turgidum spp. dicoccum. In: Proceedings of the 9th International Wheat Genetics Symposium, Saskatoon, Canada, Vol. 4, pp. 148–150.

  • Heun, M., R. Schäfer-Pregl, D. Klawan, R. Castagna, M. Accerbi, B. Borghi & F. Salamini, 1997. Site of einkorn wheat domestication identified by DNA fingerprinting. Science 278: 1312–1314.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hodgkin, T., R. Roviglioni, M.C. De Vicente & N. Dudnik, 2001. Molecular methods in the conservation and use of plant genetic resources. In: Dorè, Dosba & Baril (Eds.) Proceedings of the International Symposium on Molecular Markers, ISHS Acta Horticulturae, Vol. 546, pp. 107–118.

  • Large, J., M.L. Warburton, J. Crossa, B. Skovmand & S.B. Andersen, 2003. Assessment of genetic diversity in synthetic hexaploid wheats and their Triticum dicoccum and Aegilops tauschii parents using AFLPs and agronomic traits. Euphytica 134: 305-317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, P.O. & D. Zaykin, 1996. Genetic Data Analysis: Software for the Analysis of Discrete Genetic Data. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland Massachusetts.

  • Mac Key, J., 1975. The boundaries and subdivision of the genus Triticum. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Botanical Congress, St. Petersburg (Leningrad), Russia.

  • Nei, M., 1972. Genetic distance between populations. Am Nat 106: 183–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pagnotta, M.A., 2003. Evaluation of genetic diversity present in tetraploid wheat from Mediterranean basin. In: C. Marè, P. Faccioli & M. Stanca (Eds.), Proceedings of EUCARPIA Cereal Section Meeting, Salsomaggiore, Italy 21–25 November. Marchi snc Press, pp. 39–42.

  • Pagnotta, M.A., L. Mondini, O. Porfidi & E. Porceddu, 2003a. Genetic diversity, assessed by molecular markers, present within and between Italian landraces of emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum Schübler). In: Proceedings of the 10th International Wheat Genetics Symposium, Paestum, Italy 1–6 September 2003, Vol 2, pp. 509–511.

  • Pagnotta, M.A., G. Laghetti, L. Mondini, P. Codianni, N. Volpe, M.L. Savo Sardaro, C. Riefolo, P. Perrino & C. Fares, 2003b. Assessment of genetic diversity and characterization of Italian emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum Schübler) populations. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Wheat Genetics Symposium, Paestum, Italy 1–6 September 2003, Vol 2, pp. 506–508.

  • Piergiovanni, A.R., G. Laghetti & P. Perrino, 1996. Characteristics of meal from hulled wheats (Triticum dicoccum Schübler and Ttiticum spelta L.): An evaluation of selected accession. Cereal Chem 73(6): 732–735.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Porfiri, O., R. Papa & F. Veronesi, 1998. Il farro nel rilancio delle aree marginali umbro-marchigiane. In: C. Papa (Ed.) Il farro, saperi, usi e conservazione delle varietà locali. Quaderni del CEDRAV 1, pp. 58–67.

  • Porfiri, O., R. Torricelli, D.D. Silveri, R. Papa, G. Barcaccia & V. Negri, 2001. The Triticeae genetic resources of central Italy: Collection, evaluation and conservation. Hereditas 135(2–3): 187–192.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salamini, F., H. Özkan, A. Brandolini, R. Schäfer-Pregl & W. Martin, 2002. Genetics and geography of wild cereal domestication in the near east. Nat Rev Genet 3: 429–441.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sherma, H.C., J.G. Waines & W. Foster, 1981. Variability in primitive and wild wheats for useful genetic characters. Crop Sci 21: 555–559.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strehlow, W., G. Hertzka & W. Weuffen, 1994. Aspetti nutrizionali. Le caratteristiche dietetiche del farro nel trattamento delle malattie croniche. In: P. Perrino, S. Semeraro & G. Laghetti (Eds.), Proceedings of “Il farro un cereale della salute”.

  • Troccoli, A., G. Ronga, G. Galterio, N.E. Pogna & P. Codianni, 1998. Il miglioramento genetico del farro: Una strategia antica per lo sviluppo e la promozione della coltura. In: A. Troccoli, P. De Vita & N. Di Fonzo (Eds.), “VI Giornate Internazionali sul Grano Duro. Prospettive di una moderna cerealicoltura alle porte del terzo millennio”, pp. 353–365.

  • van Slageren, M.W., 1994. Wild wheats: A monograph of Aegilops L. and Amblyopyrum (Jaub. & Spach) Eig (Poaceae). Wageningen Agriculture University Papers (7), 513 pp.

  • Zohary, D., 1970. Wild wheat. In: O.H. Frankel & E. Bennett (Eds.), Genetic Resources in Plant and their Exploration and Conservation. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford and Edinburgh, UK, pp. 239–247.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agrobiology and Agrochemistry, University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo de Lellis, 01100, Viterbo, Italy

    Mario Augusto Pagnotta, Linda Mondini & Maroun Fandy Atallah

Authors
  1. Mario Augusto Pagnotta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Linda Mondini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Maroun Fandy Atallah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mario Augusto Pagnotta.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pagnotta, M.A., Mondini, L. & Atallah, M.F. Morphological and molecular characterization of Italian emmer wheat accessions. Euphytica 146, 29–37 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-005-8607-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-005-8607-0

Key words

Search

Navigation