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Collecting crop genetic resources in Italian towns of Albanian origin across the Molise, Calabria and Sicily regions

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Abstract

A project on collecting and safeguarding crop genetic resources in Italian linguistic islands by the Institute of Plant Genetics (IGV) of the National Research Council (CNR) of Bari (Italy) and the Institute of Crop Science of Kassel University (Germany) started in 1996 with a first mission in Italian towns (Basilicata region) of Albanian origin. In 2008 three other regions (Calabria, Molise and Sicily) were visited with the same aim. Ninety-six accessions belonging to 38 taxa were collected from 23 collecting sites. The Albanian linguistic islands still preserve valuable crop genetic resources that are severely threatened by genetic erosion. To halt this phenomenon a good example comes from Molise where the municipal government and scientific sector are starting to co-operate in the preservation of genetic diversity.

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Notes

  1. Title of a book (Mastronardi 2004) on proverbs, maxims and sayings recorded from Arbëreshë people in Molise.

  2. Albanian names.

  3. PROGRAMMA PLURIENNALE DI INTERVENTI DIRETTI A FAVORIRE LA RIPRESA PRODUTTIVA DEL MOLISE ART. 15. Ordinanza PCM 3268/03 Risorse delibera CIPE n.20/2004—Area Sisma A. P. Q. Settore “Ricerca e Innovazione” Misura 8.2 Decreto del Presidente della Giunta Regionale Commissario Delegato—n°166 del 24.08.2006.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are also pleased to thank the people for their valuable help and assistance during the mission in the areas: Molise Mr. Matteo Michele Di Legge (Welfare, Culture and Town Planning Councillorship of Portocannone); Dr. Rossella Sforza (Culture Councillorship of Montecilfoni); Prof. Annamaria Mattucci (Culture Councillorship of Campomarino); Prof. Giannino Mastronardi (former Mayor of Campomarino); Lawyer Luigi Iavasile (Culture Councillorship of Ururi); Mr. Raffaele Primiani (Agriculture Councillorship of Ururi); Prof. Pasquale Di Giulio (expert of history and traditional agriculture of Campomarino) Calabria Dr. Salvatore Bugliaro: outstanding writer and scholar of Arbëreshë culture and history; Lawyer Antonio Sposato (Mayor of San Demetrio Corone); Mr. Pasquale De Marco: journalist of San Demetrio Corone; Mr. Francesco Bifano: municipal policeman at San Demetrio Corone; Mr. Vincenzo Santo: expert of Arbëreshë tradition; Personnel of the ‘Museo Etnico Arbëreshë’ at Civita: this museum stores photos, items, art gallery, religious Byzantine icons and other evidences of Arbëreshë culture in Italy. Mr. Damiano Mauro (95 years old): former farmer a worthy source of local agriculture information Sicily Prof. Ferdinando Branca: Dipartimento di OrtoFloroArboricoltura e Tecnologie Agroalimentari (DOFATA), University of Catania; Prof. Francesco Sunseri: Plant Genetics Department of Agroforestry Systems Management, Università Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, Feo di Vito (Reggio Calabria); Dr. Francesco Carimi: Senior Scientist of the Institute of Plant Genetics, C.N.R., Palermo; Mrs Loredana Abbate: Technical Collaborator of Research, of the Institute of Plant Genetics, C.N.R., Palermo; Dr. Vito Lo Greco and Mr. Alessandro Benvenuti: Assessorato Regionale dell’agricoltura e delle Foreste, SOAT 64 Monreale (PA); Dr. Inzirillo Antonino: Cantina sociale dell’Alto Belice, San Cipirello (PA); Mr. Francesco Cuccia: Aura La Piana delle bontà, c/da Ponterosso, Piana degli Albanesi (PA); Mr. Filippo Palazzolo: Azienda zootecnica Palazzolo, c/da Argivocale, Agro Monreale; Personnel of the ‘Nicola Barbato’ museum where, in addition to a collection of traditional costumes, a typical Arbëreshë house is possible to visit, together with ancient local farmers’tools for growing, harvesting, storing of cereals, including an old progenitor of our mixing machines for oil, milk and sheep raising. Mrs Franca Portale relative of the Canon Abbot Salvator Portal from Biancavilla who lived between the centuries XVIII and XIX and was a very important scholar of Botany and founder of the Botanic Garden of Biancavilla (Portal 1826). After his founder’s death the garden was left abandoned, but in a short time it will be restored in its old site: the rear area of Palazzo Portal, in the very historical centre of the town. Its present owner is doing all efforts for its renewal by planting the old flora.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNR, Institute of Plant Genetics, Bari, Italy

    G. Laghetti, D. Pignone, A. De Lisi & S. Cifarelli

  2. Ministry of Agriculture, Tirana, Albania

    N. Faslia

  3. Institute of Crop Science, University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany

    K. Hammer

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  1. G. Laghetti
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  2. D. Pignone
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  3. A. De Lisi
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  4. S. Cifarelli
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  5. N. Faslia
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  6. K. Hammer
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Correspondence to G. Laghetti.

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Laghetti, G., Pignone, D., De Lisi, A. et al. Collecting crop genetic resources in Italian towns of Albanian origin across the Molise, Calabria and Sicily regions. Genet Resour Crop Evol 58, 139–152 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-010-9622-0

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