Short Lecture 7 “Italian “Vessalico” garlic ecotype: characterization of sulfur compounds and antiviral activity against Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV)”

Abstract

Many varieties or cultivars of garlic are available, due to the high environmental adaptative ability of the species, and they can be selected and identified based on morphological, biochemical, and chemical data [1], [2]. In this study Vessalico garlic, one of the best-known Italian garlic ecoytpes, was compared with Messidrôme and Messidor, whose cloves are used for sowing, and with the geographically adjacent Caraglio ecotype. UHPLC-Q-trap analyses of the extracts of 52 garlic accessions belonging to these four ecotypes showed similar profiles for sulfur compounds, highlighting the presence of typical molecules of stored garlic. This result was consistent with the usual storage of commercial garlic bulbs at cellar temperature for six-eight months after harvest, to ensure year-round supply for customers. HC, PCA and SOM, applied to the LC/MS data, allowed to separate the four ecotypes, identifying three sub-classes in the accessions of Vessalico ecotype, and confirming similarities between Vessalico and French accessions.