Characterization of the lentil landrace Santo Stefano di Sessanio from Abruzzo, Italy

Abstract

In the world lentil is grown on more than 3 million hectares and is one of the most important, lowcost, food source of protein. In Italy lentil has been cultivated since ancient times, but in the last decades its cultivation has been confined to marginal areas, small islands and hilly, mountainous areas of central and southern Italy. Local varieties are still common and are often greatly appreciated for their taste and cooking qualities. Several accessions from the Santo Stefano di Sessanio area, Abruzzo Region, were collected and phenotypically and genotypically characterized in order to look for the existing variability within and between populations. Image analysis of seeds was also used. Populations grown in Santo Stefano di Sessanio and in the neighbouring area basically share most of their characteristics. However, some of the accessions anonymously gathered from the local market were shown to be different from those collected from farmers. The paper reports and discusses how this local product needs be characterized and promoted in order to avoid fraud that could negatively affect the local economy and put valuable, adapted, genetic resources at risk of erosion.

Genetic diversity analysis of Moroccan lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) landraces using Simple Sequence Repeat and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms reveals functional adaptation towards agro‐environmental origins

“…The highest diversity was obtained from the EcoRI ‐ACA + MseI ‐CAG primer combination with 64.40% polymorphic bands and 0.4160 as PIC which was greater than that reported by Torricelli et al. () using eight primer combinations on Italian landraces and revealing 404 polymorphic fragments (57%).…”

On-farm Conservation of Zaer Lentil Landrace in Context of Climate Change and Improved Varieties Competition

“…They practice an empirical selection which provides them with an appropriate genetic diversity that ensures a dynamic and evolutionary adaptation to the specific environmental constraints of Zaer. This practice combines over time the effects of both natural and human selection as mentioned also by [23][24][25][26][27][28]. Thereby, the environment and farmers are the main actors of on farm conservation of the landrace.…”

The Genetic Structure of the Field Pea Landrace “Roveja di Civita di Cascia”

“…Fortunately, the risk of the genetic erosion of local germplasm was opportunely recognized earlier than other countries [14], and in the 1990s, four Regions of Central Italy (Tuscany, Umbria, Latium and Marche) promulgated laws aimed at collecting and conserving ex-situ and in-situ genetic resources. A detailed inventory of available accessions was published by Negri in 2003 [71], and recent studies confirmed the richness of the agricultural biodiversity of this area due to peculiar soil, climatic and social conditions [15,[72][73][74][75][76]. These laws are concerned with the use of genetic resources in relation to the rural development.…”

“…Nowadays a field pea landrace, locally known as "Roveja", "Roveglia" "Roveggia" or "Rubiglio", is residually cultivated in traditional and marginal farming systems and in the little rural context of the Sibylline area, a region between Umbria and Marche, in Central Italy. This legume, together with other local productions such as bean, lentil, emmer wheat, chickpea and grass pea, are at the base of marginal agricultural economies whose maintenance allows the development of typical products expressing and enhancing the culture of these territories [13][14][15]. The role and economic importance of the field pea in this region was clearly stated already in the 1545 statute of Montesanto di Sellano, imposing in every garden the cultivation of at least two legumes, including "Roveja" [16].…”