Characterization of “Mais delle Fiorine” (Zea mays L.) and nutritional, morphometric and genetic comparison with other maize landraces of Lombardy region (Northern Italy)

Abstract

The loss of agrobiodiversity is a topic of global impact. On a local scale, Lombardy, in the Alpine macro-Region, has lost more than 78% of its plant agrobiodiversity. Only four maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) landraces of Lombardy are registered in the European Register of Conservation Varieties. However, there are other maize landraces in Lombardy such as “Mais delle Fiorine”, which was characterized from an agronomic, morphometric, nutritional and genetic point of view in this research and then compared with the four other landraces already registered (“Spinato di Gandino”, “Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta”, “Scagliolo di Carenno” and “Nero Spinoso”). “Mais delle Fiorine” resulted richer in starch (81% ± 1.6) and zinc (35.8 ± 9.1 mg Kg−1) and lower in phosphorus (3256.7 ± 204.2 mg Kg−1). The kernels in the five landraces also differ in the mean shape that is obovate without beak. A genetic distinction between “Mais delle Fiorine” and the other varieties was observed, and in particular compared to “Nero Spinoso”, while “Scagliolo di Carenno” and “Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta” showed great similarities. As regards agronomical trials, “Mais delle Fiorine” can grow from the Po Valley (90 m a.s.l.) to the mountain environments of the Seriana Valley (also over 900 m a.s.l.) without significant differences in grain yield. In addition, this landrace would seem able to tolerate environments where there is a greater probability of water stress.

The Analysis of Italian Plant Agrobiodiversity Databases Reveals That Hilly and Sub-Mountain Areas Are Hotspots of Herbaceous Landraces

“…[30,48,49]. For example, the maize landraces "Spinato di Gandino", "Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta", "Scagliolo di Carenno", "Nero Spinoso", and "Mais delle Fiorine" are good examples of agro-ecotypes of flint maize for "polenta" production developed over the centuries [56]. Landraces of Calabria were almost all included in the Fabaceae family.…”

“…As can be observed in the map in Figure 5, some areas (Apennines of Molise, Abruzzo, Campania, and Calabria, the Central Apennines of Tuscany, Umbria, and Emilia-Romagna, and Central Eastern Alps on the border between Lombardy and Trentino-Alto-Adige) can be considered "hotspots" of herbaceous landraces and this may be linked to an anthropical explanation, such as the existence of research and inventory initiatives (as already explained for the case of the VNR catalogue [41] or CRC Ge.S.Di.Mont. [30,[46][47][48][49]56] or due to the existence of particularly active farmers' associations). Agricultural and environmental conditions obviously also contributed to this phenomenon.…”

The Importance of Technical Support in the Return of Traditional Crops in the Alps: The Case of Rye in Camonica Valley

“…From the disparity of harvest, it is clear that some farms demonstrate good production capacity, comparable to the yield range stated in the literature. These situations seem to confirm the ability of mountain farms to respond to the challenge of the return to agriculture in marginal areas [39][40][41][42]. The less productive farms must refer to the more productive ones as valuable study cases to improve their productivity; therefore, it is very important to create a network among farmers and project initiatives inside local communities, training, and didactic activities, and to favor moments of confrontation among farmers.…”

The Ancient Varieties of Mountain Maize: The Inheritance of the Pointed Character and Its Effect on the Natural Drying Process

“…Over-or under-developed kernels of the basal and terminal parts of the ears were not considered. The kernels were photographed in dorsal view [23] using a digital camera (Canon EOS 2000D, Amstelveen, The Netherlands ). The images were processed using Adobe Photoshop software.…”

“…Furthermore, several studies have highlighted that these old varieties have a high nutritional value and characteristics that make them more resistant to different abiotic and biotic factors [4,[21][22][23][24][25]. In fact, traditional varieties are often associated with an increased accumulation of flavonoids in the pericarp.…”