Genetic diversity in Cynara cardunculus revealed by AFLP markers: comparison between cultivars and wild types from Sicily*

Genetic diversity in 49 plants of 16 accessions representing one wild and two cultivated taxa of Cynara cardunculus L. (wild cardoon, cultivated cardoon and globe artichoke) was investigated using amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) analysis. Four pairs of primers identified a total of 264 scorable loci, 196 of which were polymorphic. The number of markers scored per primer combination ranged from 41 to 107, with an average of 66 markers per primer combination. All the primer combinations detected polymorphism. The data were used for cluster analysis and AMOVA. The clusters obtained are in agreement with the current botanical classification and the differences among the taxa were substantial. The eco‐geographical groups within wild cardoon are clearly separated in relative subclusters, and reflect the geography of the collection areas. The six clones of the four cultivated artichoke varieties were clearly separated into four subclusters, corresponding to the current classification which is based on morphological traits. The results obtained may have a direct and important bearing on plant genetic resource conservation and management and on breeding.     

RAPD variation within and among populations of globe artichoke cultivar 'Spinoso sardo'

Globe artichoke is a vegetable native to the Mediterranean basin. Its commercial production is mainly based on perennial cultivation of vegetatively propagated clones, which are highly heterozygous and segregate widely when progeny‐tested. The aim of this study was to measure genetic variation using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) in five populations of ‘Spinoso sardo’, the most widely grown and economically important cultivar in Sardinia (Italy). Analysis of molecular variance (amova ) gave highly significant differences between populations (28.1% of the total genetic diversity); substantial within‐population variation was detected (71.8% of total genetic diversity). The RAPD results show the need to apply clonal selection to narrow the broad genetic variability within the cultivar and to address important questions on the most suitable strategies for germplasm preservation.     

滇中地区洋蓟同一植株花苞营养成分差异性分析

[目的]分析滇中地区洋蓟同一植株不同部位花苞的营养成分。[方法]采用4因子交叉设计,对云南嵩明地区杨林、杨桥乡镇种植的2个洋蓟品种进行观察,并对其同一植株不同部位花苞的各营养成分进行分析。[结果]除铁外,主茎上花苞各营养成分与侧枝上花苞各营养成分的差异达0.05显著水平,第一侧枝与第二侧枝上的花苞的营养成分有一定的差别,但差异不显著(P>0.05)。主花苞的各营养成分均高于第一侧枝和第二侧枝上花苞。2个乡镇间洋蓟各营养成分的差异达0.05显著水平,钙含量相差8.73 mg/100 g。[结论]该研究为洋蓟的收购和出口产品的分级标准和质量检测提供了参考依据。     

Cradle-to-farm gate life cycle assessment in perennial energy crops

Life cycle assessment (LCA) can be an objective, strategic and immediate criteria in determining, case-by-case, the most suitable crop for energy. In this study, a cradle-to-farm gate LCA study was performed in 4 perennial energy crops and then compared to the environmental impacts of a conventional wheat–maize rotation. The functional units energy and hectare were used for ranking the crops. The results showed clear and constant environmental benefits, on average 50% lower impacts, by substituting the conventional rotation with perennial crops. Among the latter, little differences were found on hectare basis, while the differences were strictly dependent on biomass yield, on energy basis. Giant reed, the most productive crop, showed at this regard the best performance, while cynara resulted in the lowest ecological benefits. A similar trend was also registered as concern the energy gain and efficiency that ranged from 75 (cynara) to 349 (giant reed) GJ ha⁻¹, and from 7 to 30 (same order), respectively. On hectare basis, switchgrass achieved better results in six categories out of nine, and especially, it was from 27% to 32% less impacting than the other perennials on marine water ecotoxicity, which resulted in the clearly most affected category after normalisation on average European inhabitants. Weighting is not allowed for public comparison (ISO 14042), yet it can be helpful for some overall indications and conclusive comments. Comparing giant reed and switchgrass under different weighting sets, it emerged that resource depletion was the main discriminator for crop choice. Evenly weighting human health (HH), resource depletion (RD) and ecosystem quality (EQ) categories made the preference toward switchgrass or giant reed very uncertain. Taking three different weighting sets with RD, HH and EQ having 50% of relative importance (25% was set for the remaining two categories), switchgrass appeared the best choice in two cases (i.e. HH = 50% and EQ = 50%) out of three. Therefore, the preference toward a specific energy crop will strongly depend on weighting sets that may considerably change in space and time.     

Temporal dynamics of light and nitrogen vertical distributions in canopies of sunflower, kenaf and cynara

To enhance eco-physiological and modelling studies, we quantified vertical distributions of light and nitrogen in canopies of three Mediterranean bio-energy crops: sunflower (Helianthus annuus), kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) and cynara (Cynara cardunculus). Field crops were grown with and without water stress in 2008 and 2009. Canopy vertical distributions of leaf area index (LAI), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), specific leaf area (SLA), nitrogen concentration (N_conc) and specific leaf nitrogen (SLN) were assessed over time for each crop × year × water input combination. Light and nitrogen distributions were quantified by the Beer's law (exponential model) and extinction coefficients for light (K_L) and nitrogen (K_N) were calculated. Within a year, K_L did not change significantly over the studied period in all irrigated crops, but differences in K_L were significant between years (sunflower: 0.74 vs. 0.89; kenaf: 0.62 vs. 0.71; cynara: 0.77). K_L estimates were always lower (−48 to −65%) in water-stressed sunflower and kenaf crops because of the reduction in leaf angle. These results should be taken into account, when simulating water-limited biomass production. Vertical SLN distributions were found in canopies when LAI was >1.5 (40 from 51 cases). These distributions were significantly correlated with the cumulative LAI from the top (r² = 0.75-0.81; P < 0.05), providing parameters to upscale photosynthesis from leaf to canopy levels. Vertical SLN distributions followed species-specific patterns over the crop cycle and varied less compared to PAR distributions between years. Lastly, we observed strong associations between SLN and PAR distributions in irrigated sunflower and kenaf canopies (r² > 0.66; P < 0.001). However, observed SLN distributions were less steep than the distributions that would maximize canopy photosynthesis.     

Flavonoids ofCynara scolymus L. cultivated in Egypt

The study of the flavonoids of the leaves ofCynara scolymus cultivated in Egypt (Romanian strain) resulted in the isolation and identification of apigenin-7-O-glucoside, luteolin, cynaroside and scolymoside.     

Incidence of Verticillium wilt of artichoke in eastern Spain and role of inoculum sources on crop infection

Surveys of 94 artichoke fields throughout the artichoke production areas of Comunidad Valenciana (eastern Spain) were conducted from 1999 to 2002 to determine the incidence and distribution of Verticillium wilt.Verticillium dahliae was isolated from 80.9% of the sampled fields, and detected in all artichoke-growing areas, with a mean disease incidence of 53.8% infected plants. The disease was found to cause severe damage to cv. ‘Blanca de Tudela’, which is the most important artichoke cultivar grown in Spain, and was also observed on the seed-propagated cv. ‘Imperial Star’. In field trials to study the role of infected planting material and soil inoculum on infection of artichoke plants during the cropping season,V. dahliae was transmitted from infected stumps to the plants, confirming that the use of infected stumps could have greatly contributed to the dissemination of the pathogen. Inoculum density ofV. dahliae in soil had an effect on crop infection, in that a higher number of microsclerotia per gram of soil resulted in a higher percentage of infected plants. In addition, yield of cv. Blanca de Tudela was significantly affected byV. dahliae infection, showing that a higher percentage of infection corresponded with lower yield. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting July 21, 2005.     

Possible alternative utilization of Cynara spp.: II. Chemical characterization of their grain oil

The grain oils extracted from six genotypes of Cynara species: two globe artichokes (Cynara scolymus L.), two cultivated cardoons (C. cardunculus L. var. altilis DC.) and two wild cardoons (C. cardunculus L. var. sylvestris Lam.), were analysed in order to ascertain their alimentary value. Oil yield, moisture, acidity, peroxide number, UV spectrophotometry and CIE colour parameters, fatty acids, phytosterols and -tocopherol were determined by standard methods. Cynara species which are most promising in terms of quality and quantity of oil were the cardoons, especially those belonging to the wild cardoon genotypes. Triacylglycerols were the dominant constituents together with very little amounts of phospholipids and glycolipids. The high content of oleic and linoleic acids in a balanced ratio, and the low amount of free acids, peroxides, saturated and linolenic acids ensure a good alimentary quality. Distribution of phytosterols was typical of oil from grain of Asteraceae such as sunflower and safflower. Moreover the optimal -tocopherol content offers a guarantee of stability against oxidation.     

Possible alternative utilization of Cynara spp.: I. Biomass, grain yield and chemical composition of grain

Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) and cultivated cardoon (C. cardunculus L. var. altilis DC.) are horticulturally important crop plants. These species have potential as biomass and oilseed crops. We field tested, for 3 years, two artichoke and two cardoon cultivars and one wild cardoon (C. cardunculus L. var. sylvestris Lam.) population on the Sicilian plain of Catania (37°27′ N, 15°04′ E, 10 m a.s.l.). On a 3-year average, the dry aboveground biomass resulted about 31 t ha⁻¹ in both cultivated cardoons, 18.8 t ha⁻¹ in wild cardoon, 13.7 t ha⁻¹ in globe artichoke ‘3/10 V.S.’ and 9.9 t ha⁻¹ in globe artichoke ‘374’ F₁. The caloric values of aboveground biomass (except for seeds), which was not significantly different among genotypes, ranged between 16 005 and 17 028 KJ kg⁻¹ of dry matter. The cultivated cardoon ‘Gigante di Lucca’ had the greatest grain yield (on 3-year average, 2.6 t ha⁻¹), whereas the two globe artichokes had the lowest yield (on 3-year average, 0.5 t ha⁻¹). Regardless of genotypes and years, the grains contain 20.1% crude protein, 24.4% oil, 18.5% crude fiber and 4.1% ash (dry weight basis). The grains of globe artichokes showed the highest crude protein content (21.6%), whereas those of cardoons the highest oil content (25.2%).