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ITALIAN TRADITIONAL TOMATO VARIETIES: A FOCUS ON THE CAMPANIA REGION

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The long tradition of tomato cultivation in Italy has allowed the evolution of a wide diversity of traditional varieties or landraces that have been cultivated for centuries and many of them are still common in the local markets. Adaptation to peculiar climatic and edaphic conditions, the geographical isolation of several growing areas, the specific agro-technique, the local gardners’ selection, also based on consumers’s sensory preferences, have resulted in groups of landraces distributed not only by region but also by sub-regional areas. In most cases, the cultivation of these Italian landraces covers very limited areas being carried out in family gardens for personal consumption and/or in small-size farms that, therefore, play a key role in the on farm maintenance of this precious germplasm, which in many cases is risking extinction. The Campania region has been, and still is, an important area for tomato production with a long tradition in the selection, cultivation and processing of the crop, resulting in a rich reservoir of valuable tomato landraces. So far, only three Italian tomato landraces have been granted a Protected Geographical Status under European Union law, the PGI “Pomodoro di Pachino” form Sicily, and the two PDOs “Pomodoro S. Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino” and the “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” from Campania. This short review will address some of the most popular landraces of the Campania region, with a particular focus on the two PDOs.
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I Congrés de la Tomaca Valenciana: La Tomaca Valenciana d’El Perelló
El Perelló, Espai Cultural Ajuntament d’El Perelló, 17 de Maig de 2017
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/TOMAVAL2017.2017.6526
Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
EDITORIAL UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE VALÈNCIA
ITALIAN TRADITIONAL TOMATO VARIETIES: A FOCUS ON
THE CAMPANIA REGION
Sacco A.1, Cammareri M.1, Vitiello A.1, Palombieri S.1, Riccardi R.2,
Spigno P.2, Grandillo S.1 *
1 Inst. of Biosciences and Bioresources (CNR-IBBR) Research Division
Portici, Portici (Napoli, Italy)
2ARCA 2010 Soc. Coop. snc, Teverola (Caserta, Italy)
*grandill@unina.it
Resumen
La larga tradición del cultivo del tomate en Italia ha permitido la
evolución de una amplia diversidad de variedades tradicionales o variedades
autóctonas que han sido cultivadas durante siglos, muchas de las cuales
siguen siendo comunes en los mercados locales. La adaptación a las
peculiares condiciones climáticas y edáficas, el aislamiento geográfico de
varias zonas de cultivo, las técnicas de cultivo específicas, la selección de
los agricultores locales, también basada en las preferencias sensoriales de
los consumidores, han dado como resultado grupos de variedades locales
distribuidas no sólo por regiones, sino por áreas sub-regionales. En la
mayoría de los casos, el cultivo de estas variedades autóctonas italianas
cubre áreas muy limitadas y se están llevando a cabo en huertos familiares
para consumo personal y / o en fincas pequeñas que, por lo tanto,
desempeñan un papel clave en el mantenimiento de este valioso
germoplasma, que en muchos casos está en peligro de extinción. La región
de Campania ha sido, y sigue siendo, un área importante para la producción
de tomate con una larga tradición en la selección, cultivo y procesamiento
de este cultivo, resultando en un rico reservorio de variedades autóctonas de
tomate valiosas. Hasta el momento, sólo tres variedades autóctonas de
tomate italiano han obtenido el estatus de protección geográfica conforme a
la legislación de la Unión Europea, la IGP “Pomodoro di Pachino” de Sicilia
y las dos DOP “Pomodoro S. Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino” y
“Pomodorino Del Piennolo del Vesuvio" de Campania. Esta breve revisión
abordará algunas de las razas tradicionales más populares de la región de
Campania, con especial atención a las dos DOP.
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Abstract
The long tradition of tomato cultivation in Italy has allowed the
evolution of a wide diversity of traditional varieties or landraces that have
been cultivated for centuries and many of them are still common in the local
markets. Adaptation to peculiar climatic and edaphic conditions, the
geographical isolation of several growing areas, the specific agro-technique,
the local gardners’ selection, also based on consumers’s sensory preferences,
have resulted in groups of landraces distributed not only by region but also
by sub-regional areas. In most cases, the cultivation of these Italian
landraces covers very limited areas being carried out in family gardens for
personal consumption and/or in small-size farms that, therefore, play a key
role in the on farm maintenance of this precious germplasm, which in many
cases is risking extinction. The Campania region has been, and still is, an
important area for tomato production with a long tradition in the selection,
cultivation and processing of the crop, resulting in a rich reservoir of
valuable tomato landraces. So far, only three Italian tomato landraces have
been granted a Protected Geographical Status under European Union law,
the PGI “Pomodoro di Pachino” form Sicily, and the two PDOs “Pomodoro
S. Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino” and the “Pomodorino del Piennolo
del Vesuvio” from Campania. This short review will address some of the
most popular landraces of the Campania region, with a particular focus on
the two PDOs.
1.- TRADITIONAL TOMATO VARIETIES IN ITALY: AN OVERVIEW
The cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. syn. Lycopersicon
esculentum Mill.) was introduced in Europe from Central and Southern
America, during the 16th century (García-Martínez et al., 2013). In the Old
World, the tomato has been most successful in the Mediterranean countries,
especially Italy and Spain, where, after an initial use as ornamental plant, it
was soon introduced in the local cuisine (Soressi, 1969; García-Martínez et
al., 2013). As a secondary center of diversity, Italy counts with a rich
selection of traditional varieties or landraces that have been cultivated for
centuries and many of them are still common in the local markets (Soressi
1969; Acciarri et al., 2013). Most of these landraces have been developed
over the years, in different Italian regions, according to local gardners’
selection aimed to satisfy consumers’s tastes, as well as according to
adaptation to local climatic and edaphic conditions (Mazzucato et al., 2008;
Acciarri 2013). As a result, a wide diversity of varieties can be observed not
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only by region but also by "communal" boundaries. From Northern Italy to
Sicily there is a proliferation of varieties with different shapes, colors,
flavors and types of plants. The various fruit typologies found different
distribution throughout Italy; for example, the flattened-ribbed tomatoes
were mainly diffused in Northern regions of the country (“Costoluto
Genovese”, “Riccio di Parma”, “Ladino di Pannocchia”) and Central
regions (“Costoluto fiorentino”, “Pantano romanesco”, “Scatolone di
Bolsena”, “Spagnoletta di Gaeta e Formia”), whereas varieties with
oval/round (“Piennolo”, “Pizzutello”) or elongate (“San Marzano”,
“Corbarino”) fruit shape were mostly found in Southern Italy (Soressi,
1969; Andreakis et al., 2004; Mazzucato et al., 2008).
Throughout the national territory, but especially in the center-south
area, many tomato varieties, mostly characterized by small fruits, are grown
in open air with very limited or no watering. These landraces may differ in
fruit shape, size and color as well as in growth habit (determinate or
indeterminate), but they are all characterized by a high adaptability to the
cultivation in dry, and most of them have small fruit size (<25 g), high
thickness of the skin, absence of the character jointless, and considerable
difficulty in detaching the pedicle from the berry. These characteristics,
along with the traditional cultivation technique (cultivation in dry) exalt the
sensory properties of these products intended for fresh consumption, for
cunning, as well as for the preservation of the fresh product for winter
consumption (pomodoro “da serbo” o “d’inverno”). In the latter case, the
fruits are generally arranged in bunches hanging on different types of
supports, which, depending on the area of production, take different names
such as “piennolo” or “spungilli” (the trusses are twisted together around a
circled twine), in the case of the “Pomodorino del piennolo del Vesuvio”, in
the Campania region, or “ramasole” (the single fruit are tied together with
cotton thread) in the case of the “Pomodoro regina di Torre Canne” in the
Puglia region).
In most cases, the cultivation of these Italian landraces covers very
limited areas (sometimes only a few hectares) being carried out, in family
gardens for personal consumption and/or in small-size farms that conduct,
therefore, an important role in maintaining and safeguarding of this
important genetic heritage.
Despite the growing consumers’ interest for traditional food
products, so far, only three Italian tomato landraces have been granted a
Protected Geographical Status under European Union law. Two landraces
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received the Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs), the “Pomodoro S.
Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino PDO” (Salerno, Avellino, Naples
Campania region), and the “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio PDO
(Naples – Campania region), and will be described in more details below as
typical products of the Campania Region. On the other hand, the Protected
Geographical Indication (PGI), was granted to the “Pomodoro di Pachino
PGI” (Ragusa, Syracuse – Sicily Region) according to the EC Reg. n. 617 -
04.04.03 (GUCE L. 89 - 05.04.03)
The PGI “Pomodoro di Pachino” initially represented by four fruit
typologies, cherry, smooth round and fascinated, since January 2017 (GU
Serie Generale n.6 of 9-1-2017) covers also the ‘Datterino’ (Plum e
Miniplum), since this typologies has reached a substantial share of
production (http://nutritomagazine.it/en/2015/05/19/pomodoro-pachino-
igp/).
2.- TRADITIONAL TOMATO VARIETIES OF THE CAMPANIA
REGION
The Campania region, in Southern Italy, has been and still is an
important area for tomato production with a long tradition in the selection
and cultivation of the crop. As a result, this region constitutes an important
reservoir of valuable tomato landraces, which were developed over the years
for spontaneous hybridization and/or mutations and subsequent selections
made by the farmers to obtain genotypes adapted to local conditions and
with quality requirements well delineated for specific uses
(http://www.progettosalve.it/pp/index.php/2014-07-14-08-54-
34/p/pomodoro). Among the numerous tomato landraces of Campania
region the most popular are the two PDOs, “Pomodoro del Piennolo del
Vesuvio” PDO and “Pomodoro S. Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino”
PDO, and ‘Pomodoro di Sorrento’. Besides these three landraces, which will
be described in more details, it is worth mentioning the traditional variety
“Pomodorino di Corbara” or “Corbarino” and the “recovery and
valorization” project of the traditional variety “Pomodoro Re Umberto” or
“ Re Fiascone”.
The Corbarino tomato is a typical niche product of the Campania
region. It is a small (13-21 g) cherry-like tomato grown on the slopes of the
rolling hills of Corbara (from which the name). It includes several landraces
showing at least four different fruit shapes (oval, elongate, pear-shaped and
round) (Andreakis et al., 2004). The fruits have an intense red colour and a
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nice and typical taste when fully mature; they may have different market
destinations as fresh, canned (whole and unpeeled tomatoes are dipped into
their own juice and canned in glass or tin) or as large hanging bunches
called “spunzilli” (Andreakis et al., 2004;
http://www.comune.corbara.sa.it/). Nowadays, there is an increase in
demand of both fresh and canned Corbarino, and a growing interest by the
local canning industry (http://www.agricoltura.regione.campania.it).
Therefore, the valorization of the Corbarino tomato could represent, for
local farmers, a viable alternative to other crops now in crisis, in hilly areas
where this typical production represents one of the few still profitable
vegetables (http://www.comune.corbara.sa.it/).
The traditional variety “Pomodoro Re Umberto” is an old variety
grown in the Amalfi Coast already in the early 19th century, and that went
disappearing until it became almost impossible to find. The “Associazione
Costiera Amalfinata Riserva della Biosfera (ACAR.BIO)” (www.acarbio.it)
(in collaboration with the research center Crea-Ort Pontecagnano and the
Committee of Rural Districts promoter), thanks to a crowdfunding project,
and the "guardian farmers", managed to put this landrace back in the
cultivation and production. The result of this project is a high quality final
product, and the label "Re Fiascone" is seen as the beginning of a model of
sustainable development for the territory, which aims to boost the local
economy, supporting the small “guardian farmers” and, at the same time,
safeguarding the delicate terraced landscape of Tramonti, on the Amalfi
Coast. This is a valuable example of the positive outcomes derived from the
ability to work alongside the “seed savers” and the equally valuable
“guardian farmers” who provide land and labor in the name of the desire not
to lose a unique biodiversity in the world.
3.- THE “POMODORINO DEL PIENNOLO DEL VESUVIO” PDO
The “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” or simply “pomodorino
Vesuviano” is one of the oldest and most typical varieties grown in
Campania region, so much so to be even represented in the traditional
Neapolitan nativity scene (Caiazzo et al., 2014). It owes its name to the
ancient practice of the Vesuvius farmers to twist some bunches or “scocche”
of ripe cherry tomatoes around a circled twine to form a large bunch
“piennolo” that is then hung in dry and ventilated rooms, thus ensuring
optimal preservation until the end of the winter (Fig. 1).
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Given the great peculiarity of this tomato, in 2009, the Protected
Designation of Origin (PDO) “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” has
been recognized, in accordance with Regulation EU Reg. no. 1238 of
11.12.09 (GUUE L. 332 of 17.12.09)
(http://www.agricoltura.regione.campania.it/). The “Consorzio di Tutela
della DOP Pomodorino del piennolo del Vesuvio” has been officially
recognized in April 2013.
Figure 1.- The “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” stored as “piennolo.
3.1.- Description of the product
“Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” PDO designates the fruit of
the small tomato ecotypes known by the folk names “Fiaschella”,
“Lampadina”, “Patanara”, “Principe Borghese” and “Re Umberto” and
traditionally grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, which are sold both
fresh or stored as “piennolo”. They are oval or slightly plum-shaped with a
pointed apex, frequent ribbing towards the stalk and thick skin. Hybrids may
not be used. In order to be eligible for protection, they must have the
following characteristics. When fresh size: no greater than 25 g; shape
parameters: ratio between the largest and smallest diameters of between 1.2
and 1.3; outer colour: vermilion; colour of the flesh: red; texture: very firm;
flavour: sweet and sour, lively and intense; refractive index: min. 6.5 °Bx;
strongly attached to the stalk. When stored on “piennolo”bunches outer
colour: dark red; colour of the flesh: red; texture: firm; flavour: lively and
intense; turgidity: low at the end of storage (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/).
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The fruits are carried in clusters of 5-6 fruits, with clear dark green
shoulder before ripening, and then red and vermilion when fully ripe (Fig. 2)
The peculiarities of the “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” are
the thick and almost crunchy skin, a very compact pulp with a low water
content, the the hanging strength to the peduncle, the high concentration of
sugars, acids and other soluble solids that make it a long shelf-life product.
Over the months the tomato, despite losing his turgidity, takes on a unique
and delicious taste, with a slightly bitter aftertaste
(http://www.casabarone.it/). Indeed, the richness in organic acids determines
the vivacity or "acidity" of taste, which is the distinctive character of this
tomato. These features are rooted in local soil and climate factors of the
geographical area in which the tomato is grown, where the soils of volcanic
origin, are made up of pyroclastic material originated by the eruptions of the
Somma-Vesuvius volcanic complex. The delicious sweet-sour taste and the
slightly bitter aftertaste make the “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio”
PDO a key ingredient of Neapolitan and Campania cuisine, and has a great
versatility in cooking being used in many different ways. Besides the
traditional spaghetti and clams, the local chefs are committed to using it in
many other dishes, including a variation of the delicious Neapolitan pizza.
Figure 2.- The “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio”.
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3.2.- Production area
The production area of “Pomodorino del Piennolo Vesuvio” PDO
includes the territories of 18 municipalities in the province of Naples, most
of which are located within the National Park of mount Vesuvius in the
Campania region, at an altitude of 150 to 450 meters above sea level.
3.3.- Method of production
The “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” PDO is cultivated with
a traditional method exclusively on lava fields with sandy texture, which
require fertilization with organic fertilizers or mineral fertilizers; cultivation
is not allowed in a protected environment such as greenhouses or tunnels or
soilless. Only localized irrigation methods or micro-distribution of water are
allowed. The plants, with indeterminate habitus and very slender stem are
grown vertically with development up to 80 cm in height, adequately
supported by wires tied between wooden support blades or straws tucked
into the ground (Fig. 3). In this way the berries do not touch the soil and the
fruits, receiving the sun's rays uniformly, acquire the red-intense coloration
that distinguishes them. Plant density should not exceed 45,000 plants per
hectare. The maximum unit production of tomatoes is fixed at 16 tons/ ha,
with an average production per plant that varies between 300 and 500 g
depending on the planting density. Harvesting must be done by hand
between June 20th and August 31st, by cutting the whole trusses directly
(http://www.agricoltura.regione.campania.it/Tipici/piennolo.html). During
harvesting, the trusses are picked whole when at least 70 % of the tomatoes
are red, with the remainder still ripening. All agricultural practices are hand-
made due to the irregular arrangement and ground terraces, which make
mechanization difficult. The yields, in the absence of irrigation, are very low
and do not exceed 10-12 tons/ ha.
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Figure 3.- Field of “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio”
3.4.- Commercialization
The “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” PDO is appreciated on
the market both fresh and in the typical form “al piennolo”, but also as glass
preserves, according to an old family recipe of the area called “a
pacchetelle”, also referred to in the specification for the PDO.
The fresh type is sold, within four days of collection, as berries or
clusters, placed in suitable sealed containers of a maximum weight of 10 kg.
The "preserved" type, is sold until spring as single fruits or as clusters
arranged in bulk in suitable sealed containers of maximum 10 kg or as
“piennoli” that, at the end of storage, may weigh between 1 and 5 kg
(maximum). The method of conservation on “piennolo”, together with the
cultivation in non-irrigated soils and particularly the thick skin ensure an
optimal preservation for up to 7-8 months.
3.5.- Economic and production data
The spread of the “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” PDO in
the Vesuvian area is rather fragmented, due to the high fragmentation of
crops and for the non-uniform distribution along the entire mountain
complex of Somma-Vesuvius. The estimated surface area is approximately
480 hectares (about 10% of the arable area UAA), with annual production of
about 4,000 tons of fresh product. At present, it is difficult to determine
average sales, due to the very diluted market over time (from July to May of
the following year), which results in a very different selling price of the
product. For example, the price for the “piennolo” can vary from 1.5 to over
5 euros per kg, being higher in December.
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The recognition of the PDO, the intense promotion activity carried
out in recent years by the “Consorzio di Tutela of the Pomodorino del
piennolo del Vesuvio DOP”, and the renewed commercial interest (also
abroad) in this product has revitalized the entire sector so that all the fresh,
preserved and processed product is disposed of quickly and without any
difficulty, especially on the local market, but in some cases even through the
distribution chain.
Although, the PDO certified production has increased since the
constitution of the Consortium, there is still a large gap between the certified
and the non-certified production; e.g. in 2015 the DOP production has
reached 300 tons (Agroquality data of 2015) with an estimate of the
productions that have characteristics to enter in the PDO of over 1,000 tons.
Given the extremely fragmentation of the crop, the success of the
“Pomodorino del piennolo del Vesuvio” PDO has to go through the
aggregation amongst the players so as to reduce costs, from production to
product marketing and successfully market
(http://www.coltureprotette.it/tipicita-ai-piedi-del-vesuvio/).
Even without an appropriate policy for the promotion of the product,
the demand remains high, since the quality perceived by consumers is high.
Nevertheless, the offer of “Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio” PDO as
canned product or as packaged “piennoli” is still limited, and the difficult
orographic conditions of the area along with the structural difficulties of the
companies may hinder the desired development of the sector.
4.- THE “POMODORO S. MARZANO DELL'AGRO SARNESE-
NOCERINO” PDO
The PDO tomato “San Marzano dell'Agro Sarnese-Nocerino” is
certainly one of the most popular and appreciated Italian products in the
world for its aroma, flavor and softness characteristics. These characteristics
are essentially due to the peculiarities of cultivated soils, strongly affected
by the eruptions of Vesuvius and climatic conditions. The name of this long-
shaped tomato comes from its native land, the town of San Marzano on the
river Sarno, in the Campania region (Fig. 4).
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Figure 4.- The ‘San Marzano’ tomato
The San Marzano tomato assumed great appreciation from a
gastronomic point of view towards the beginning of the '900, when
Francesco Cirio founded the first canning industry giving origin to the
production of the famous “pelato” (peeled) sauce. In the recent past the San
Marzano was also known as “red gold” for the economic value it had for
farmers of Agro Sarnese-Nocerino area. The presence of a number of factors
such as the Mediterranean climate and the extremely fertile and well-
structured soil, the skills and experience gained from the production area
farmers over the decades, has contributed to its success in the world,
crowned in 1996 with the recognition of the European Union as Protected
Designation of Origin (PDO) “Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-
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Nocerino” PDO in accordance with EC Reg. No. 1236 of 01.07.96 (GUCE
L. 89 of 05.04.03). Subsequently, at the proposal of the Consortium, a few
changes and additions to the product specification have been approved
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/).
4.1.- Description of the product
According to the PDO specifications, the product offered for sale to
consumers consists exclusively of tomatoes of the S. Marzano 2 and KIROS
(ex Cirio 3 selection) varieties, or improved strains of these, grown in the
Agro Sarnese-Nocerino area and processed into “pelato” (whole peeled
tomatoes) or as “pomodori pelati a filetti” (sliced peeled tomatoes) by
means of an industrial processing procedure by operators established in the
area of production. The product is generally presented for sale in glass jars
or tins (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/). The intrinsic characteristics
that have enhanced the product and thus foster its knowledge and its
consumption are: typically sweet and sour taste, long shape of berry with
parallel longitudinal depressions, bright red color, few seeds and placental
fibers and easy to peel. These, together with the chemico-physical
characteristics, make it unique, both in the fresh state and transformed. The
PDO only designates the peeled and type sliced peeled (“a filetti”), coming
from the processing of ecotype or improved lines of San Marzano. The
transformed product must have very specific technological features: uniform
red color with a/b colorimetric ratio not less than 2.2; elongated and
parallelepiped shape, with length from 60 to 80 millimeters, absence of
foreign odors and flavors; dry weight not less than 65% of net weight;
refractometric residue of not less than 4%; pH from 4.2 to 4.5. It is allowed
the addition of salt (max 3% of n.w.), basil leaves, tomato juice (but only of
S. Marzano).
4.2.- Production area
To qualify for the “Pomodoro S. Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-
Nocerino” PDO, tomatoes must be produced by agricultural undertakings
and processed by industrial operators in areas belonging to 41 municipalities
distributed in the Provinces of Salerno (15), Avellino (2) and Naples (24) as
detailed in the production specification. All the listed municipalities are
included in the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino area and neighbouring areas and
cultivate tomatoes on the irrigated or irrigable arable land on their plains.
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Hillside areas are excluded because they are not irrigated (http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content).
4.3.- Method of production
The S. Marzano tomatoes are grown exclusively on level, irrigated
plots made up for the most part of pyroclastic material that is volcanic in
origin and very deep, loose, naturally fertile, with good organic content and
high levels of assimilable phosphorous and exchangeable potassium. The
tomatoes may be grown in a protective environment to protect the crop from
parasites and insect pests. The plants must be grown vertically with suitable
staking and horizontal wires. Any form of forcing intended to alter the
natural biological cycle of the tomato especially as regards ripening is
not allowed. The tomatoes are picked in the period between 30 July and 30
September by hand only and at different times, as and when they are fully
ripe. They then have to be sorted and transported in plastic containers
holding between 25 and 30 kg. Maximum yield is 80 tons/ha and yield in
terms of processed product is no more than 80%.
4.4.- Economic and production data
In the ‘80, the crop has undergone a drastic reduction, both in terms
of production and of cultivated area, mainly because of the obsolescence of
the landraces used that were unable to compete with the new hybrids
coming from U.S.A., but also for phytosanitary problems and economic
reasons linked to the costly cultivation technique. To overcome these
difficulties, the Cirio Ricerche (nowadays ARCA 2010) started a recovery
and improvement action of the populations of landraces selected by local
guardian farmers. Subsequently, the Campania region, together with the
“Consorzio di tutela del S. Marzano DOP”, have promoted the valorization
of the improved landraces allowing the preservation of this important
tomato and its international reintroduction. In fact, the San Marzano PDO
tomato is witnessing a new season of rebirth and today it is requested not
only in Europe and USA, but also in other continents, where it is expanding
thanks to the growing success of the “Mediterranean diet”.
Over the past three years, the statistics on the surface cultivated with the San
Marzano PDO show interesting results. In fact, it has gone from about 130
hectares of 2013/14 agricultural land to 197 hectares in 2016. The potential
production, therefore, increased from 7,800 tons in 2014 to 11,820 tons this
year. Specifically, referring to 2015 (the last year for which processing data
191
ITALIAN TRADITIONAL TOMATO VARIETIES: A FOCUS ON THE CAMPANIA REGION
Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
EDITORIAL UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE VALÈNCIA
are available), certifies that agricultural producers have delivered to the
processing companies 7,096 tons of fresh product with a processed
production of 4,440 tons (yield of about 63%) (Agriquality data 2015). If we
compare this data with the quantity of tomato transformed in Italy in 2015
(about 5.4 million tons) it is clear how marginal the transformation of San
Marzano is, and how this typical production could be increased. These data
indicate that the great reputation of the product, both fresh and processed,
does not correspond to its real commercial value. It is therefore necessary to
further invest in a valorization program, to boost its production and
commercialization.
5.- THE “POMODORO DI SORRENTO”
The cultivation of “Pomodoro di Sorrento” tomato (also called
“Sorrentino” or “Rosa di Sorrento”) began in early 1900s near Sorrento
(Parisi et al., 2016). Initially, its cultivation was limited to the so-called area
of the Colli (Hills) (between Sant’Agnello and Piano di Sorrento), but the
production soon spread in the remaining part of Sorrento Coast, and also
concerned the areas surrounding the Vesuvius, even if the tomato has
slightly different pomological and organoleptic characteristics from the
Sorrento tomato grown in the traditional production area. Nowadays it
represents one of the most important and remunerative Italian tomato
landraces for fresh market, and it is grown especially as a protected
cultivation (Parisi et al., 2016). The Sorrento tomato owes some of its
success to the famous Caprese salad, the classic dish of tomatoes, basil and
local cheese (mozzarella) from the Lattari Mountains. This large, round,
ribbed tomato is light red in colour, verging on pink with green hues when
harvested, it is very fleshy and firm and has a sweet, delicate flavor. As for
“Cuore di Bue” and “Belmonte” landraces, the pink color of the ripe fruits is
due to the colorless epidermis (y) mutation (Parisi et al., 2016).
The “Pomodoro di Sorrento” landrace shows outstanding
organoleptic and nutritional qualities (Sinesio et al., 2007) that are greatly
appreciated by consumers, as also shown within the TRADITOM project
(Grandillo et al.unpublished data).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by the European Commission Horizon
2020 program (TRADITOM grant 634561 to S.G. and P.S.).
192
Sacco A., Cammareri M., Vitiello A., Palombieri S., Riccardi R., Spigno P., Grandillo S.
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EDITORIAL UNIVERSITAT POLITÈCNICA DE VALÈNCIA
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The ‘Pomodoro di Sorrento’, originating from Southern Italy, represents one of the most important and remunerative Italian tomato landraces for “fresh market”. Despite its outstanding organoleptic and nutritional qualities scanty information still exists on the structural variation of this traditional tomato. Here we report the evaluation of ten accessions of the ‘Pomodoro di Sorrento’ tomato at phenotypic and molecular levels in order to provide a basis to unequivocally distinguish them from those belonging to the other most famous similar landraces grown in Italy. Morphological characterization based on 13 descriptors highlighted the presence of a significant level of variation for puffiness, green color and green shoulder of unripe fruits, allowing distinguishing two ‘Sorrento’ morphotypes. Genome-wide SNP genotyping was carried out using the ILLUMINA Infinium tomato array and revealed a genetically well defined structure of the ‘Sorrento’ landrace with respect to the other multilocular landraces most widespread in Italy. In particular, 1450 SNPs resulted polymorphic among 20 tested genotypes, and one clearly distinguishes the ‘Sorrento’ from other similar landraces. Finally, resistance assay to Verticillium wilt allowed the identification of promising ‘Sorrento’ accessions. Interestingly two markers localized into the Ve2 gene showed a strong association with the resistance/susceptibility trait. Taken as whole, our results provide a description of ‘Pomodoro di Sorrento’ landrace diversity, which provide useful information for its utilization in breeding programs as well as for its direct use in quality markets.
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Twenty-five landraces of the cherry-like tomato named Corbarino, a typical niche product grown in the Sarno valley of the Campania region, have been characterized. The landraces used have been compared to eight cultivars widely spread in the same area of cultivation. The genetic diversity within and between landraces was evaluated through the comparison of DNA fingerprints obtained with (GATA)(4) probe hybridized to TaqI digested genomic DNA. Twenty-two of the Corbarino landraces were homogeneous and were unequivocally characterized by their DNA fingerprints. The others are probably "population varieties" in that within each of them polymorphic DNA fragments were identified. According to the characterization of fruit shapes, four groups were identified. One landrace from each group, harvested at the same ripening degree, was further characterized for yield, fruit quality components, antioxidant activities, and carotenoid contents and compared to Faino F(1) and Tomito F(1) hybrids. The Corbarino landraces were all characterized by high yield, a high level of carbohydrates, and high levels of soluble and total solids. Interestingly, the biotype named ISCI 05 was the most suitable for canning. Landraces ISCI 07 and ISCI 05 gave the highest value of antioxidant activities and carotenoid content. These data, together with previously published results, suggested that ISCI 05 should be proposed for the institution of a Label of Origin.
Sensory characteristics of traditional field grown tomato genotypes in southern Italy
  • F Sinesio
  • M Paparario
  • E Moneta
Sinesio, F.; Paparario, M.; Moneta, E. 2007. Sensory characteristics of traditional field grown tomato genotypes in southern Italy. J. Food Qual. 30 (6), 878-895.
DNA fingerprinting and quality traits of Corbarino cherry-like tomato landraces
  • N Andreakis
  • I Giordano
  • A Pentangelo
  • V Fogliano
  • G Graziani
  • L M Monti
Andreakis, N.; Giordano, I.; Pentangelo, A.; Fogliano, V.; Graziani, G.; Monti, L.M., et al.. 2004. DNA fingerprinting and quality traits of Corbarino cherry-like tomato landraces. J. Agric. Food Chem. 52, 3366-3371. 10.1021/jf049963y.
Il Pomodoro. Edagricole
  • G P Soressi
Soressi, G.P. 1969. Il Pomodoro. Edagricole, Bologna.