Abstract
Morphometric, biochemical and genetic analyses were conducted on Olea europaea L. of Campania, an area of Southern Italy highly suited to the cultivation of olive trees and the production of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). We aimed to characterize the distribution of morphological, biochemical and genetic diversity in this area and to develop a practical tool to aid traceability of oils. Phenotypes were characterized using morphometric data of drupes and leaves; biochemical and genetic diversity were assessed on the basis of the fatty acid composition of the EVOOs and with microsatellite markers, respectively. We provide an open-source tool as a novel R package titled ‘OliveR’, useful in performing multivariate data analysis using a point and click interactive approach. These analyses highlight a clear correlation among the morphological, biochemical and genetic profiles of samples with four collection sites, and confirm that Southern Italy represents a wide reservoir of phenotypic and genetic variability.
Highlights
The origin of Olea europaea L. remains the subject of much debate today, but it has been hypothesized that wild plants were already present on the island of Crete in 4000 BC
The morphometric diversity assayed through morphometric features may, be useful to discriminate certain olive tree genotypes grown in situ, a finding that agrees with results of other studies carried out in South of Italy and in particular in Calabria and Sicily Regions [35]; since morphological characters are more liable to be affected by environmental factors [36], this suggested to consider them in association with biochemical and genetic traits for an accurate classification and identification of a variety
This work focused on 169 olive (O. europaea) trees of Campania Region (South Italy) and investigated the relationships among the most suitable parameters useful to describe their diversity
Summary
The origin of Olea europaea L. remains the subject of much debate today, but it has been hypothesized that wild plants were already present on the island of Crete in 4000 BC. Despite this uncertainty, it is clear that for centuries olive has assumed an economic, symbolic and socio-cultural value for the people living in the Mediterranean basin. As well as many other Mediterranean countries and contiguous areas, hosts a large part of the diversity of the species as evidenced by the description of about 600 varieties [3] This diversity in the Campania Region (South of Italy) is known to be rich, thanks to the local traditions and farming custodians, and several varieties and ecotypes are recognized for their socio-economic and environmental value [4]
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