Abstract
The European plum (Prunus domestica L.) is a worldwide distributed tree species. Italy has an ample number of traditional varieties, but many are neglected and at risk of extinction. This germplasm is still cultivated in rural areas in spite of the EU-28 crisis of the stone fruit sector. Traditional European plum varieties remain poorly characterized, strongly limiting their promotion in local markets, use for farm diversification, and exploitation for local gastronomic products. In this study, we carried out an investigation of the morphological and genetic diversity present in an ex-situ collection of 29 traditional varieties of P. domestica of the Campania region (Southern Italy). The combination of five continuous and five categorical fruit traits allowed us to phenotypically distinguish all the varieties. Similarly, the Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) employed (five genomic and five deriving from Expressed Sequence Tags) identified a unique molecular profile for each variety. Moreover, the data indicated that the phenotypic and molecular investigations provided different clustering, suggesting that the two analyses sampled different sources of diversity. The number and the distribution of the scored phenotypes as well as the indices of genetic diversity imply the presence of a wide-ranging variation, which may sustain the development of high-value, niche market products. Our work provided evidence that the implementation of measures for a combination of ex-situ and on-farm conservation of traditional European plum varieties should be preferred to avoid the loss of an ample diversity.
Highlights
Plums are a group of stone fruits with edible fleshy mesocarp produced by different species of the large, globally distributed genus Prunus (Rosaceae) [1]
The number and the distribution of the scored phenotypes as well as the indices of genetic diversity imply the presence of a wide-ranging variation, which may sustain the development of high-value, niche market products
Our work provided evidence that the implementation of measures for a combination of ex-situ and on-farm conservation of traditional European plum varieties should be preferred to avoid the loss of an ample diversity
Summary
Plums are a group of stone fruits with edible fleshy mesocarp produced by different species of the large, globally distributed genus Prunus (Rosaceae) [1]. Plum cultivation in Italy, which is in the top 10 producing countries (FAO, 2016), is present essentially in two regions (Emilia-Romagna and Campania), with around 75% of the production represented by Japanese plums [6] In these areas, farmers still maintain in cultivation traditional European varieties for local fresh markets and for processing (jams and dried or canned plums). Yield may not always be satisfactory, the locally adapted traditional varieties are appreciated for their superior flavor and taste [9] These varieties are considered to be more amenable to low-input agriculture, better suited for traditional farming (e.g., low planting density), and more adapted to local conditions than Japanese plums. The potential of traditional varieties to diversify the plum sector, support local producers and promote traditional gastronomic products (e.g., no-sugar added plum jams; [14]) has been unexplored due to the lack of information on available plant material
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