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

Giardini Naxos, Italy - 18/21 September, 2002

ISBN 88-900622-3-1

Poster Abstract - 1.12

AFLP ANALYSIS TO DISTINGUISH VARIETIES OF OLEA EUROPAEA SPREAD IN CILENTO

AMBROSINO O.*, SPIEZIA A.**,MANZO M.**

*) Università di Napoli Facoltà di Agraria Dipartimento di Scienze del Suolo della Pianta e dell’Ambiente

**) Se.S.I.R.C.A. Settore Sperimentazione, Informazione, Ricerca e Consulenza in Agricoltura – Regione Campania

Olea europaea, AFLP fingerprinting, genetic distances

Campania region has a large surface occupied by olive trees (68.576 ha) that are cultivated both intensively and as a few secular trees located also in marginal areas. The complexity of varietal landscape makes difficult the classification and the identification of varieties. In this respect the study of molecular diversity may allow to identify DNA markers through which a careful estimate of genetic relationships among varieties and clones as well as cultivars identification, is possible.

In this study the genetic variability within and among olive cultivars spread in Cilento, was evaluated through AFLP fingerprints.

Genomic DNA was extracted from fresh leaves of 16 varieties and analysed with 8 primer combinations. Some varieties were represented by several plants which included also samples considered as putative ancestors of specific youger plants.

AFLP fingerprints were monitored by visual inspection of autoradiographs and DNA fragments were scored for their presence or absence. The similarity matrix was computed with the simple matching coefficient and further analysed using the NTSYS-PC program and a dendrogram, based upon the UPGMA algorithm, was built. With only two exceptions, all the plants classified as belonging to the same variety were gathered in the same cluster with similarity values following into 0,95 and 1 range. The genetic distances among the ancestors and younger plants were also very close. Two plants classified under different names (Grossale and Provenzale) having a similarity value of 0,98 are likely to be sinonimous, while one other classified as Rotondella but having a similarity value of 0.77 are likely to be an homonymous. Polymorphic DNA fragments were analysed in order to identify variety specific electrophoretic patterns. All the cultivars were identified by an amplification pattern that was validaded by the analysis of several plants for single cultivar and confirmed what already preliminary reported by previous experiments.