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Diversity characterisation of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck) landraces for their on-farm (in situ) safeguard and use in breeding programs

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Abstract

Brassica oleracea L. is an important species that originated in the eastern Mediterranean area. From there, B. oleracea L. subsp. capitata (L.) DC. convar. botrytis (L.) Alef. var. italica Plenck (broccoli) was introduced into Italy where considerable diversification took place. Several landraces of broccoli, which are highly appreciated by local people for their organoleptic traits, are presently cultivated in both large fields and home gardens. In this study, 10 landraces, 4 synthetics derived from landraces and 4 of the most used F1 hybrids were characterised for morpho-physiological and molecular traits with the principal aim of feeding information into the landrace protection schemes being developed in Italy and into breeding programs. The landraces and derived synthetics are well differentiated from each other and from the F1 hybrids for important agronomic and genetic traits. The principal component analysis based on analysis of morpho-physiological traits showed that overall the 2 main components accounted for 67.74 % of the total variation. The neighbour joining tree, based on 23 microsatellite markers, grouped accessions into 2 main clusters. One includes one synthetic variety and 2 F1 hybrids, while the other cluster includes all the other accessions. There were also several sub clusters. Most of the materials examined showed within-accession diversity. The information gathered in this study can be used to protect landraces through the schemes presently being developed in Italy and to register them in the European common catalogue of “conservation varieties”. In situ (on-farm) conservation of landrace diversity is discussed with reference to landrace use.

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Acknowledgments

The research leading to these results was partially funded by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under the Grant agreement no 245058 SOLIBAM and from the Italian Government_CIPE under the PROM project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Applicata (DBA), University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121, Perugia, Italy

    Simona Ciancaleoni, Lorenzo Raggi & Valeria Negri

  2. Dipartimento delle Produzioni Agrarie e Alimentari (DISPA), University of Catania, Via Val di Savoia 5, 95131, Catania, Italy

    Giuseppina Laura Chiarenza & Ferdinando Branca

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  1. Simona Ciancaleoni
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  2. Giuseppina Laura Chiarenza
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  3. Lorenzo Raggi
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Correspondence to Valeria Negri.

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Simona Ciancaleoni and Giuseppina Laura Chiarenza have contributed equally to this work and must be both considered as first authors.

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Ciancaleoni, S., Chiarenza, G.L., Raggi, L. et al. Diversity characterisation of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck) landraces for their on-farm (in situ) safeguard and use in breeding programs. Genet Resour Crop Evol 61, 451–464 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-013-0049-2

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