Proceedings of the XLV Italian Society of Agricultural Genetics - SIGA Annual Congress

Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy - 26/29 September, 2001

ISBN 88-900622-1-5

Poster Abstract

AMPLIFIED FRAGMENT LENGHT POLYMORPHISM MARKERS TO VALUE THE GENETIC VARIABILITY WITHIN AND AMONG CULTIVATED VARIETIES OF OLEA EUROPAEA

AMBROSINO O., RAO R.

Dipartimento di Scienze Agronomiche e Genetica Vegetale, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici (NA)

Pisciottana, cultivar identification, phylogenetic relationship

Campania region occupy a position not negligible in the list of the olive italian regions both for surface and production. Olive cultivation in Campania assume great importance in Salerno province, especially in Cilento, an area strongly indicated for olive cultivations and with a particularly rich varietal landscape. Several cultivars often with similar morphologic traits, frequently cases synonymies and homonymies which make difficult the classification as well as the identification of varieties.

For this reason, morphologic analyses should be integrated with molecular analyses both for nursery maintainance and for olive germoplasm preservation.

In this study the genetic variability within and among olive cultivars was evaluated comparing AFLP fingerprints obtained from seven plants of the cultivar known as "Pisciottana" with those obtained from single plant of Salella, Rotondella, Sanginara and Cammarotana cultivars.

Genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves quantified and used for AFLP analysis.

AFLP fingerprints were evaluated by visual inspection of autoradiograph and DNA bands were scored for their presence (1) or absence (0). The resulting data matrice was used to produce a dendrogram which shows that all "Pisciottana" plants are closely related with the possible exception of P1, whose belonging to the cultivar is discussed. According to the literature, P1 plant should be considered a cultivar different from "Pisciottana".

Polymorphic AFLP patterns were also utilized for cultivar identification.

One of the eight primer combinations used (Eaac/Mcct) produced a suitable fingerprint for each of the five cultivars studied. Six Pisciottana plants (whit the execption of P1)show in the range of 400-300 bp six fragments with a tipical elettroforetic profile suitable to differentiate this cultivar by others. Similarly, in the same range, the cultivars Salella, Rotondella and Sanginara show four fragments while Cammarotana show eight amplified fragments. P1 plants has two more bands in the indicated size interval confirming the involvement of different genetic pedigree.