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Enhancing conservation and use of local vegetable landraces: the Almagro eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) case study

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Abstract

We have used the Almagro pickling eggplant landrace as a model for the enhancement of a local vegetable landrace. The programme has included characterization, selection, and breeding activities. Considerable intra-landrace diversity has been found for morphological traits and molecular markers. Characteristic morphological traits have allowed its registration as conservation variety. Also, universal and specific simple sequence repeat markers have been found for the Almagro landrace. The chemical characterization revealed that Almagro eggplant has a high content in bioactive phenolics. Organoleptic tests revealed that pickles produced with Almagro eggplant are superior to those of the related Andalusian landrace. The selection programme has led to the development of a pure line with increased yield and reduced fruit calyx prickliness. A participatory breeding programme, in which selection is made by farmers in their own field, has been initiated to introduce the no-prickles trait from three other varieties in the genetic background of the Almagro eggplant. The results of the programmes show that plants with the Almagro eggplant ideotype and with reduced prickliness can be selected in the backcross generations. As a result of the enhancement programme the acreage and total production of Almagro eggplant has tripled in the last decade.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been partially funded by Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (HITO-2010-112) and by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (AGL2012-34213). Authors are grateful to the community of farmers associated to the PGI “Berenjena de Almagro” for their involvement in the participatory enhancement programme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera 14, 46022, Valencia, Spain

    Maria Hurtado, Santiago Vilanova, Mariola Plazas, Pietro Gramazio, Isabel Andújar, F. Javier Herraiz & Jaime Prohens

  2. Asociación para la Promoción de la I.G.P. “Berenjena de Almagro”, C/Ramón y Cajal 12, 13260, Bolaños de Calatrava, Spain

    Angel Castro

Authors
  1. Maria Hurtado
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  2. Santiago Vilanova
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  3. Mariola Plazas
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  4. Pietro Gramazio
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  5. Isabel Andújar
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  6. F. Javier Herraiz
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  7. Angel Castro
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  8. Jaime Prohens
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Correspondence to Jaime Prohens.

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Hurtado, M., Vilanova, S., Plazas, M. et al. Enhancing conservation and use of local vegetable landraces: the Almagro eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) case study. Genet Resour Crop Evol 61, 787–795 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-013-0073-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-013-0073-2

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