Genetic Nature of Yams (Dioscorea sp.) Domesticated by Farmers in Benin (West Africa)

‘Domestication’ is a traditional farmers’ practice reported for yams (Dioscorea sp.) in Benin (West Africa). It involves introducing ‘spontaneous’ (naturally occurring) yams, supposedly wild (D. abyssinica and D. praehensilis), in varieties of the D. cayenensis–D. rotundata cultivated species complex. In this study, we established the genetic nature of ‘predomesticated’ yam plants using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique. A total of 213 accessions, consisting of 32 predomesticated yams, 70 D. cayenensis–D. rotundata, 86 D. abyssinica and 25 D. praehensilis yams were analysed. Using 91 AFLP markers, three groups of accessions were distinguished, broadly corresponding to the above botanical species. Of the 32 predomesticated accessions, 16% were clustered with D. praehensilis, 37% with D. abyssinica and the remaining 47% with D. cayenensis–D. rotundata. These results demonstrated the use of wild plants by farmers in their domestication process, and suggested that plants derived from intervarietal and interspecific hybridisation may also be subject to this process. This study has shown that through domestication farmers influence and increase the genetic diversity in yam by using sexual reproduction of wild and possibly cultivated yams.     

Evaluation ofFusarium wilt-resistance in primitive races ofGossypium hirsutum L.

Seven primitive races ofGossypium hirsutum L.punctatum, marie-galante, richmondi, latifolium, morrilli, palmeri, mexicanum and five F₁ crosses were inoculated withFusarium f. sp.vasinfectum physiological strain I. in the wilt field of Cixi Cotton Institute in 1987. There were highly significant differences among these primitive races.Punctatum andpalmeri were highly resistant. The resistances ofmarie-galante andmexicanum was similar with that of cultivar ‘Simian2’;richmondi, latifolium andmorrilli were susceptible. The disease incidence of F₁ in five primitive races hybridized with cultivar ‘Simian2’ was generally higher than that of mid-parent value. Inheritance of wilt resistance was partially dominant. In addition, 178 accessions of eight primitive races were evaluated for their resistance as before in 1989. There were significant differences in resistance among races and intra-race accessions. There were wilt resistance accessions among primitive races in which disease incidence was below 10%–25%. Inpalmeri, marie-galante, richmondi andpunctatum, one accession was immune with 0% disease incidence, respectively; 22.7–77.4% accessions were susceptible with 50% disease incidence. It showed that primitive races were mixed populations. They should be evaluated and screened for their utilization in cotton breeding program. Some best plants were selected from F₂ of two crosses, ‘Simian2’ ×palmeri and ‘Simian2’ ×mexicanum, based on the resistance toFusarium wilt and the response to photoperiod. 11 lines had been obtained with good fiber quality and relatively high potential production by backcrossing improvement. These lines are now being tested.     

Genetic diversity of cultivated and wild Ussurian Pear (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrus ussuriensis</Emphasis> Maxim.) in China evaluated with M13-tailed SSR markers

Eight genomic SSR markers with a M13 tail attached were used to assess the genetic diversity of 72 Ussurian Pear accessions (Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim.) in China. The M13-tailed method was effective in discriminating all the 32 wild accessions. All the 40 Ussurian Pear cultivars could be successfully discriminated with the exception of 4 sets of synonymies or spots. A total of 108 alleles were obtained with an average of 13.5 per locus. The expected heterozygosity, observed heterozygosity, and power of discrimination were 0.78, 0.63, and 0.86 respectively. Three triploid cultivars (‘Anli’, ‘Ruan’er’, and ‘Pitaiguo’), and one wild accession, P. ussuriensis ‘Xilin-3’, showed three alleles at some SSRs. The number of alleles and observed heterozygosity per locus for 40 Ussurian Pear cultivars were 9.1 and 0.62, respectively, lower than the values of 32 wild accessions which were 11.3 and 0.65, respectively. A dendrogram based on the SSR genotypes was obtained, showing two major groups corresponding to cultivated group and wild group. All the cultivars fell into the cultivated group. Some subgroups (Nanguoli subgroup, Zhibazi subgroup, Xiangshuili subgroup, Balixiang subgroup, Anli subgroup) could be found in the cultivated group. A very close relationship between ‘Huagaili’ and ‘Miansuan’, and a close relationship between ‘Anli’ and a wild accession, P. ussuriensis ‘Huangshanli’ could be found in Anli subgroup. ‘Nanguoli’ and ‘Xiaowuxiang’ showed a close relationship with at least one identical allele at each locus with the exception of NH015a.     

Genetic Variation Among Portuguese Landraces of ‘Arrancada’ Wheat and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum petropavlovskyi</Emphasis> by AFLP-based Assessment

Portuguese wheat landraces, ‘Arrancada’ were collected from the Aveiro region, Portugal before the 1950s. We found in eight accessions of `Arrancada' hexaploid wheat with the long glume phenotype. We assessed the comparative genetic diversity among Portuguese `Arrancada' wheat and Triticum petropavlovskyi Udacz. et Migusch. using AFLP assays and discuss the origin of long glumed `Arrancada' wheat. With the four primer pairs a total of 4885 visible bands were scored corresponding to 99 AFLP markers as putative loci, of which 55 markers (54%) were polymorphic. UPGMA clustering and PCO grouping showed that long glumed ‘Arrancada’ wheat and T. petropavlovskyi were genetically diverse. Long glumed ‘Arrancada’ hexaploid wheat separated into two clusters (groups) in both the UPGMA dendrogram and in PCO analysis. Four long glumed accessions fell in the cluster of tetraploid wheat. A similar argument could be made for another four accessions which belong to the cluster of hexaploid wheat. The substantial level of genetic variation indicated that long glumed ‘Arrancada’ wheat and T. petropavlovskyi originated independently. It is most likely that the P-gene of long glumed ‘Arrancada’ hexaploid wheat was introduced from T. turgidum ssp. polonicum (L.) Thell. to T. aestivum via natural introgression or breeding. We suggest that the long glumed ‘Arrancada’ hexaploid wheat did not originate from T. aestivum through spontaneous mutation at the P locus     

Genetic diversity and structure of Ethiopian,Yemen and Brazilian C<Emphasis Type="Italic">offea arabica</Emphasis> L. accessions using microsatellites markers

Genetic diversity among 115 coffee accessions from the Coffea Germplasm Collection of IAC was assessed using SSR markers. The germplasm represents 73 accessions of Coffea arabica derived from spontaneous and subspontaneous plants in Ethiopia and Eritrea, species center of origin and diversity, 13 commercial cultivars of C. arabica developed by the Breeding Program of IAC, 1 accession of C. arabica cv. ‘Geisha’, 13 accessions of C. arabica from Yemen, 5 accessions of C. eugenioides, 4 accessions of C. racemosa and 6 accessions of C. canephora. Genetic analysis was performed using average number of alleles per locus (A), proportion of polymorphic loci (P), Shannon’s genetic index (H′ and G′_ST) and clustering analysis. All evaluated species were distinguished by a cluster analysis based on Jaccard’s coefficient. Differentiation between the cultivated plants of C. arabica and accessions derived from spontaneous and subspontaneous plants was observed. Spontaneous and subspontaneous accessions from Ethiopia were separated according to the geographical origin: east and west of the Great Rift Valley. Cultivated plants showed a low genetic diversity with a division in two groups: accessions from Yemen (H′=0,028) and Brazilian commercial cultivars (H′=0,030). The results agreed with previously reported narrow genetic basis of cultivated plants of C. arabica and supported the hypotheses about domestication of the species. This study also showed a significant genetic diversity among accessions from Ethiopia and Eritrea present in the Germplasm Collection of IAC. This diversity is specially observed in accessions from Sidamo (H′=0,143), Kaffa (H′=0,142) and Illubabor (H′=0,147) indicating their importance as source of genetic variability for coffee breeding programs.     

A note on the evolution of kabuli chickpeas as shown by induced mutations in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cicer reticulatum</Emphasis> Ladizinsky

Two distinct chickpeas of the domestic chickpea, C. arietinum L., exist and are referred to as ‘desi’ or microsperma and ‘kabuli’ or macrosperma. Cicer reticulatum Ladiz. is considered to be the wild progenitor of the domestic chickpea. However, the morphological variation in 18 original accessions of C. reticulatum is narrower than those of the domestic chickpeas. The aim of the study is to increase the variability in C. reticulatum. In M₂ generation, a mutant with white flower color was isolated despite of the fact that the parent has the pink flower. Although seed coat color of the parent was dark brown, the mutant was cream like ‘kabuli’ chickpea. It is commonly accepted that the large seeded domestic ‘kabuli’ chickpeas originated from the small seeded ‘desi’ chickpeas, but the induced mutants (white flower and cream seed coat color) of C. reticulatum may suggest an additional path for the evolution of ‘kabuli’ chickpea. ‘Kabuli’ chickpeas could have originated from spontaneous mutants of C. reticulatum. In M₃ generation, multipinnate leaf, erect growth habit, green seed and double-podded chickpeas were isolated. Among these progenies, morphologic variability increased and approached domesticated chickpea. Based on historical records and the induced mutants obtained from this study, the domestic ‘kabuli’ chickpea could have directly emerged from C. reticulatum in ancient Eastern Turkey.     

Vigna vexillata (L.) A. Rich. Cultivated as a Root Crop in Bali and Timor

Vigna vexillata is considered as a pantropical distributed wild species closely related to the cowpea (Vigna uniculata) and adapted to infertile soils. The species is occasionally used for its storage roots as well as forage and erosion control plant. The objective of this study was to pursue personal communications that V. vexillata has be transformed into a cultivar in Indonesia. Seven Indonesian islands were visited (Java, Bali, Sumba, Flores, Timor, Kalimantan and Sulawesi). Wild V. vexillata was found in Java, Bali, Sumba, Flores and Timor, occasionally used as wild ‘forest food’, and cultivated V. vexillata was found in Bali and Timor, Seven cultivars were collected and two of these were made available for the National Botanic Garden of Belgium. The cultivars were primarily cultivated for their storage roots, propagated by seeds, required no scarified seeds for good germination and formed non-dehiscent pods. On-farm root yields of 18–30 t ha⁻¹ and seed yields of 0.7–1.2 t ha⁻¹ were estimated. A brief discussion about the common names of wild V. vexillata is given and it is proposed to use the name ‘tuber cowpea’ for V. vexillata accessions which are cultivated for their storage roots. The material may be of interest for regions, where the growing season is too short or the rainfall too low for sweet potato and cassava as well as to incorporate cultivar characteristics into wild V. vexillata accessions which are used for their storage roots.     

AFLP similarities among historic Danish cultivars of fodder beet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Beta vulgaris</Emphasis> L. subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">vulgaris</Emphasis>var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">rapacea</Emphasis> Koch)

Dead seeds of a fodder beet cultivar ‘Elvetham’ stored under ambient conditions since 1880 were compared to a homonymous sample preserved in an on-farm situation in Denmark. DNA was isolated from single seeds and successfully applied to Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) analysis of the accessions. Six primer pairs were used to determine the similarity between the two accessions based on 112 polymorphic bands. Furthermore, similarity among seven cultivars of fodder beets representing the main types used in Scandinavia at the end of the 19th century was determined. This analysis was based on 152 polymorphic bands. Differentiation among the seven cultivars was determined to a mean G _ST value of 0.438, while G _ST between the two ‘Elvetham’ accessions was 0.266. A principal coordinate analysis based on jaccards similarity index illustrates that the two ‘Elvetham’ accessions are different from each other. The differentiation is higher than the value found between two separate ‘Eckerndorfer’ accessions. The results indicate that the cultivated accession has changed. Additionally, the value of applying old dead seed material for documentation in gene banks is demonstrated. During the analysis it was found that DNA isolated from seeds and leaves behaved differently in the AFLP process, however, the two fractions assigned to their common accession.     

Relationships between an Italian Strawberry Ecotype and its Ancestor using RAPD Markers

Random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to evaluate genetic variability among populations of an Italian strawberry ecotype, and to determinate genetic relationships between genotypes and their putative ancestor. A total of 65 selections and one cultivar ‘Madame Moutot’ (MM), were analysed to evaluate genetic variability present in Etna mountain area and to confirm as MM was one of the cultivars that originated the ecotype. A total of 222 RAPD markers was obtained using 16 decamer primers and 6 longer primers, 90.8% of the markers obtained by selected primers resulted polymorphic at least within analysed genotypes. RAPDs were used to calculate genetic similarity coefficients and to generate dendrograms representing genetic relationships among genotypes analysed. Cluster analysis displays as RAPD polymorphisms were able to characterize the genotype variability among closely related groups. The data show as MM could be considered the ancestral genotypes introduced in that area. The results obtained confirm that RAPD markers could be used as reliable markers to perform phylogenetic studies in Fragaria×ananassa Duch. ex Rozier. Giuseppe Bertino and Piero Spada - Coauthor involved in genotype selection and field management     

Genetic Analysis of Egyptian Date (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phoenix dactylifera</Emphasis> L.) Accessions Using AFLP Markers

Forty-seven samples of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) collected from eight locations in Egypt were studied using four sets of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers with near infrared fluorescence labeled primers. These samples belonged to 21 named accessions and 9 of unknown pedigrees. A total of 350 bands were scored and 233 (66.6%) were polymorphic. Twenty-seven Egyptian accessions and ‘Medjool’and ‘Deglet Noor’accessions from California could beclassified into the major cluster. This major cluster may represent a major group of date palm germplasm in North Africa. There were four other clusters, each containing one or two accessions. The variety ‘Halawy’and one accession of unknown provenance were most likely from hybridization between two clusters. Six groups of accessions of which had the same names, revealed similar but not identical AFLP profiles suggesting these accessions might derive from seedlings rather thanthrough clonal offshoot propagation.     

Sources of resistance to Hessian fly (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Syria identified among Aegilops species and synthetic derived bread wheat lines

The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say), is a major pest of wheat in North Africa, southern Europe, North America, and northern Kazakhstan. It is believed this pest (like wheat) originated in West Asia. The Syrian Hessian fly biotype has been found to be the most virulent worldwide, and has been used at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) for screening wheat and its wild relatives to identify new sources of resistance. The screening was conducted in an insect rearing room set at 20°C and 70% RH using a Hessian fly population collected from Lattakia region, Syria. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replications. ‘Nasma’ (bread wheat) and ‘Cando’ (durum wheat) were used as susceptible and resistant checks, respectively. A total of 623 lines/accessions of wheat and its wild relatives (Aegilops and Triticum) were evaluated. Twenty-nine Aegilops accessions and four synthetic derived bread wheat lines were found resistant. The presence of dead first instars confirmed the resistance reaction and also showed that antibiosis is the major mechanism of resistance in these materials. These sources of resistance are used in ICARDA’s wheat breeding programs for the development of Hessian fly-resistant germplasm/varieties.     

Evaluation of perennial wild <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cicer</Emphasis> species for drought resistance

About 90% of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) in the world is grown under rainfed conditions where drought is one of the major constraints limiting its productivity. Unlike the cultivated chickpea, wild Cicer species possesses sources of resistance to multiple stresses; we therefore evaluated perennial wild Cicer species for resistance to drought. C. anatolicum, C. microphyllum, C. montbretii, C. oxydon and C. songaricum were compared with special checks; C. echinospermum, C. pinnatifidum and C. reticulatum and five cultivated chickpeas. After the cultivated chickpeas were killed, accessions were evaluated using a 1–5 scale, where 1 = highly drought resistant (no visible drought effect and full recovery after three successive wiltings) and 5 = highly drought susceptible (leaves and branches dried out, no recovery at all). All accessions of perennial wild Cicer species were significantly superior to those annual wild species and the cultivated chickpeas including the best drought tolerant chickpea, ICC 4958 under drought conditions. Perennial wild Cicer species did not only recover after wilting and drying out above ground level, they also tolerated high temperatures up to 41.8°C. But, they do not cross with the cultivated chickpeas. C. anatolicum should be taken account in long term breeding programs because it has closer affinities to the first crossability group than the others.     

‘Ladakhi tea’ <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bidens pilosa</Emphasis> L. (Asteraceae): a cultivated species in the cold desert of Ladakh Himalaya,India

Bidens pilosa L., a less-known cultivated tea species was collected from cold desert of Ladakh Himalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, India during 2004. The freshly harvested leaves are used in preparation of ‘Ladakhi tea’ locally known as ‘Saja’ or ‘Soljaa’ in cold desert of Ladakh Himalaya, Western Himalaya, Jammu and Kashmir. The local inhabitants were growing this species in their kitchen garden for this use. In the present communication, the method of preparation of this beverage is also discussed.     

YIELD AND GROWTH RESPONSE OF STRAWBERRY TO PLANT GROWTH-PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIA INOCULATION

This study was conducted to examine the effect of inoculation of plant growth-promotion Rhizobacteria (PGPR) on phenological data, total yield and fruit quality characteristics of strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch) cv. ‘Fern’ during 2006 and 2007. All bacterial root inoculations significantly increased yield per plant (1.98–20.85%), average fruit weight (3.05–19.26%) and first quality fruit ratio (10.30–32.05%) compared to control, whereas the bacterial inoculations did not affect leaf area, first flowering and harvest dates in strawberry cv. ‘Fern’. The bacteria also increased soluble solid content (SSC) and vitamin C in strawberry cv. ‘Fern’. The vitamin C contents of fruits ranged from 47.41 mg 100 g^?1 (control) to 53.88 mg 100 g^?1 (RC05), while SSC values varied between 10.16% (control) and 12.83% (RC01). Results of this study show that RC19 (Bacillus simplex), RC05 (Paenibacillus polymyxa), and RC23 (Bacillus spp.) have the potential to increase the yield and growth of strawberries.     

Molecular Markers for the Classification of Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) Germplasm and to Assess Genetic Diversity in Three Synthetic Switchgrass Populations

Information regarding the amount of genetic diversity is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of breeding programs and germplasm conservation efforts. Genetic variation between 21 switchgrass genotypes randomly selected from two lowland (‘Alamo’ and ‘Kanlow’) and one upland (‘Summer’) synthetic cultivars were estimated using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers. Comparison of 85 RFLP loci revealed 92% polymorphism between at least two genotypes from the upland and lowland ecotypes. Within ecotypes, the upland genotypes showed higher polymorphism than lowland genotypes (64% vs. 56%). ‘Kanlow’ had a lower percent of polymorphic loci than ‘Alamo’ (52% vs. 60%). Jaccard distances revealed higher genetic diversity between upland and lowland ecotypes than between genotypes within each ecotype. Hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward's minimum variance grouped the genotypes into two major clusters, one representing the upland group and the other the lowland group. Phylogenetic analysis of chloroplast non-coding region trnL (UAA) intron sequences from 34 switchgrass accessions (6 upland cultivars, 2 lowland cultivars, and 26 accessions of unknown affiliation) produced a neighbor-joining dendrogram comprised of two major clusters with 99% bootstrap support. All accessions grouped in the same cluster with the lowland cultivars (‘Alamo’ and ‘Kanlow’) had a deletion of 49 nucleotides. Phenotypic identification of greenhouse-grown plants showed that all accessions with the deletion are of the lowland type. The deletion in trnL (UAA) sequences appears to be specific to lowland accessions and should be useful as a DNA marker for the classification of upland and lowland germplasm.     

Collection of Lupinus angustifolius L. Germplasm and Characterisation of Morphological and Molecular Diversity

Lupinus angustifolius L. is a Mediterranean species, domesticated in the 20th century, representing an important grain legume crop in Australia and other countries. This work is focused on the collection of wild germplasm and on the characterisation of morphological and molecular diversity of germplasm accessions. It reports the collection of 81 wild L. angustifolius accessions from the South and Centre of Portugal, available at the ‘Instituto Superior de Agronomia Gene Bank’, with subsequent morphological and molecular characterisation of a selection of these and other accessions. A multivariate analysis of morphological traits on 88 L. angustifolius accessions (including 59 wild Portuguese accessions, 15 cultivars and 14 breeding lines) showed a cline of variation on wild germplasm, with plants from Southern Portugal characterised by earlier flowering, higher vegetative development and larger seeds. AFLP and ISSR molecular markers grouped modern cultivars as sub-clusters within the wider diversity of wild germplasm, revealing the narrow pool of genetic diversity on which domesticated accessions are based. The importance of preserving, characterising and using wild genetic resources for L. angustifolius crop improvement is outlined by the results obtained.     

Genic SSRs for European and North American hop (Humulus lupulus L.)

Eight genic SSR loci were evaluated for genetic diversity assessment and genotype identification in Humulus lupulus L. from Europe and North America. Genetic diversity, as measured by three diversity indices, was significantly lower in European cultivars than in North American wild accessions. Neighbor Joining cluster analysis separated the hop genotypes into European and North American groups. These eight SSRs were useful in uniquely identifying each accession with the exception of two sets of European landraces and a pair of Japanese cultivars, ‘Shinshuwase’ and ‘Kirin II’. An accession from Manitoba grouped with the European (EU) cluster reflecting the group’s genetic similarity to older Manitoba germplasm used to develop ‘Brewer's Gold’ and the gene pool arising from this cultivar. Cultivars grouped closely with one of their immediate parents. ‘Perle’ grouped with its parent ‘Northern Brewer and ‘Willamette’ grouped with its parent ‘Fuggle H’. Wild American accessions were divided into two subgroups: a North Central group containing mostly H. lupulus var. lupuloides and a Southwestern group containing H. lupulus var. neomexicanus accessions. These eight SSRs will be valuable for genotype identification in European and wild American germplasm and may potentially prove useful for marker-assisted selection in hop. PCR products from four previously reported primer pairs that amplify the same intronic SSR regions as do the genic SSRs in this study were compared in eight common cultivars. Different primer pairs generated robust markers at the chs2 and chi loci. However, only the HLC-004B and HLC-006 primer pairs amplified successfully at the chs3 and chs4 loci. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Identification of European and Asian pears using EST-SSRs from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pyrus</Emphasis>

Ten EST-SSRs previously isolated from Pyrus were used to identify 81 P. communis, 13 P. pyrifolia and 20 P. ussuriensis or P. × bretschneideri accessions. Cross-transference of these EST-SSRs was high in these species. PYC-008 and PYC-004 were the least informative SSRs in each of the pear species and were monomorphic in P. pyrifolia while PYC-013, PYC-002 and PYC-009b were the most informative in all species. EST-SSRs were very valuable for identification of incorrectly identified accessions, failed grafts and sets of synonyms in each of the species. Unsuspected relationships were uncovered, including a parental relationship between ‘Anjou’ and ‘Farmingdale’, a clonal relationship between ‘Berger’ and ‘Bartlett’, and a very close relationship between ‘Beurre Superfin’ and ‘Doyenne du Comice’. One SSR marker was different in one of three sports of ‘Doyenne du Comice’ (‘Doyenne du Comice Crimson Gem’) and in one of two sports of ‘Anjou’ (‘Gebhard Red’ red skin sport of ‘Anjou’). UPGMA cluster analysis separated the pear accessions into a large European cluster and an Asian group mostly according to common ancestry, geographical origin or time of ripening. High cross-transference of EST-SSRs in Pyrus species is very valuable for germplasm management in such a highly diverse collection as found at the NCGR Pyrus genebank in Corvallis, OR.     

Analysis of the contribution of Mesoamerican and Andean gene pools to European common bean (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Phaseolus vulgaris</Emphasis> L.) germplasm and strategies to establish a core collection

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) was introduced in Europe from both Mesoamerican and Andean centres of origin. In this study, a collection including 544 accessions from all European regions showed that the Andean phaseolin types ‘T’ (45.6%) and ‘C’ (30.7%) prevailed over the Mesoamerican ones ‘S’ (23.7%), and accessions with cuboid seed shape (34.9%), maroon coat darker colour seed (44.3%), uniform seed colour (69.6%) were the most frequent. European accessions with phaseolin ‘S’ showed a significantly larger average seed size compared to those from America in the same phaseolin class while those presenting ‘T’ and ‘C’ phaseolin did not. This suggests that, during crop expansion in Europe, sampling or selection favoured the large-seeded races within the Mesoamerican ‘S’ gene pool or, possibly, introgression from Andean germplasm did occur. A core collection was developed using sampling approaches based on the information available in the genebank databases and on phaseolin patterns. Four sampling strategies were used: simple random sampling, and three random-stratified samplings, by logarithm of frequency of accessions by country, by European region, and by phaseolin pattern, respectively. Two sampling strategies resulted in core collections significantly different for phaseolin electrophoretic patterns from the whole collection. Stratification by phaseolin patterns increased the frequency of ‘S’ types (‘C’ type = 33%, ‘T’ type = 5.7% and ‘S’ type = 31.3%). The core collections were validated using seven seed characters, and no significant difference was observed in all strategies. This first developed European bean core collection will help to assess the contribution of the two American gene pools to the European germplasm and their relative importance for breeding purposes.     

Different cucumber melon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cucumis melo</Emphasis> L.) races cultivated in Salento (Italy)

South Italy is still a centre of diversity for melons but new cultivars progressively replace its traditional landraces. The area of Salento is important for several typical old crops as the cucumber melon ‘Meloncella’ (Cucumis melo L. var. chate (Hasselq.) Filov) traditionally cultivated for its unripe fruits. Information on cultivation, quality and variation of this Apulian landrace (probably the last relic of a wider cultivation in Europe) is reported. A strategy for its characterization and safeguarding is in progress at the genebank of IGV of Bari (Italy).