Chiarenza G.L.’s research while affiliated with University of Catania and other places

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Publications (16)


Commercial products of the accessions characterized in the experiment. The numbers represent accessions as listed in Table 1
Spatial distribution of the landraces, synthetic lines and hybrids F1 characterized in the experiment in relation to the main three principal components (PCs). The numbers represent accessions as listed in Table 1
Dendrogram based on the genetic similarity matrix of 34 B. oleracea accessions (microsatellite data) by using neighbor-joining method. The numbers represent accessions as listed in Table 1
Diversity of Sicilian broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) landraces and their distinctive bio-morphological, antioxidant, and genetic traits
  • Article
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February 2018

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699 Reads

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50 Citations

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution

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Giuseppina Laura Chiarenza

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Chiara Cavallaro

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During the domestication process of broccoli and cauliflower, a number of evolutionary pathways have been traced that established the modern cultivars of both crops. Over the time, the high level of similarity between the two crops generated confusion about the classification of the landraces and of the related types and forms. With the aim to offer new parameters to delineate discriminant traits between the two crops, we characterized a set of broccoli and cauliflower landraces and F1 hybrids, traditionally grown in Sicily, an important evolution center for both crops, on the basis of biochemical and biomorphological parameters. In addition, to confirm the genetic diversity, microsatellite analysis was performed using 5 SSR primers. A large diversity was detected on glucosinolate, anthocyanin, carotenoids, total polyphenols, and ascorbic acid content, which could be used as phytochemical descriptors for their traceability. Moreover results highlighted a wide variability expressed by the landraces in terms of biomorphological and genetic traits. Microsatellite analysis allowed to classify the genotypes of the experiment into five groups. All Sicilian landraces resulted clustered into distinct groups, while a relatively high confusion was detected for what regards commercial F1 hybrids of both crops.

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Fig. 1 Principal Component Analysis based on the morpho-physiological traits recorded in the Sicilian accessions (A, D, E, F, I, L, M, O, P, Q and R), Campanian landrace (H) and 2 F1 hybrids (G and N) 
Table 3 continued 
Table 4 Average values of the morpho-physiological traits in the accessions analysed. Averages followed by the same letters are not significantly different at P B 0.05 
Diversity characterisation of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck) landraces for their on-farm (in situ) safeguard and use in breeding programs

April 2014

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1,523 Reads

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43 Citations

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution

Brassica oleracea L. is an important species that originated in the eastern Mediterranean area. From there, B. oleracea L. subsp. capitata (L.) DC. convar. botrytis (L.) Alef. var. italica Plenck (broccoli) was introduced into Italy where considerable diversification took place. Several landraces of broccoli, which are highly appreciated by local people for their organoleptic traits, are presently cultivated in both large fields and home gardens. In this study, 10 landraces, 4 synthetics derived from landraces and 4 of the most used F1 hybrids were characterised for morpho-physiological and molecular traits with the principal aim of feeding information into the landrace protection schemes being developed in Italy and into breeding programs. The landraces and derived synthetics are well differentiated from each other and from the F1 hybrids for important agronomic and genetic traits. The principal component analysis based on analysis of morpho-physiological traits showed that overall the 2 main components accounted for 67.74 % of the total variation. The neighbour joining tree, based on 23 microsatellite markers, grouped accessions into 2 main clusters. One includes one synthetic variety and 2 F1 hybrids, while the other cluster includes all the other accessions. There were also several sub clusters. Most of the materials examined showed within-accession diversity. The information gathered in this study can be used to protect landraces through the schemes presently being developed in Italy and to register them in the European common catalogue of “conservation varieties”. In situ (on-farm) conservation of landrace diversity is discussed with reference to landrace use.




Characteristics and seed production of sicilian landraces of violet cauliflower

September 2013

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32 Reads

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1 Citation

Acta Horticulturae

Several traditional landraces of cauliflower are largely utilized by local communities in different regions of Italy, by several types propagated by growers differing mainly for colour, grain size, shape of the curd. These landraces are endangered by introduction of new F1 hybrids which risk to contaminate traditional gene pool with a serious genetic drift. In this frame DISPA, since twenty years has collected, characterized, evaluated and conserved Sicilian landraces of violet cauliflower identifying genotypes; it has established synthetic lines and F1 hybrids, by DH lines, interesting for their nutraceutical traits. These activities deal with the improvement of propagation materials both to satisfy local market and GDOs demand and to support new functional foods chains. In this context Sicilian landraces of violet cauliflower, characterized by high plant rusticity and adaptability to Mediterranean climatic condition, could allow friendly environmental crops by containing the use of pesticides and fertilizers.


Characteristics and Seed Production of Italian and Iberian Type of Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) Grown in Sicily

September 2013

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120 Reads

Acta Horticulturae

Kale is an underutilized crop which seems to be the first result of the domestication process of Brassica oleracea wild type complex (n=9). This crop is still grown in all European countries in home gardens and peri-urban vegetable farms and is appreciated for its rusticity and the high content of bioactive compounds. Kale leaves, in fact, contain high amounts of total polyphenols, ascorbic acid and glucosinolates. Seed production is important for a wide range of vegetable crops and its development depends upon many factors such as the genetic profile and physiological and environmental conditions. An important prerequisite for the successful production of seeds is the optimal timing of harvest. In view to enhance kale production and provide to growers qualified genotypes, attention was paid to the evaluation of twenty-three types of kale grown on the Italian and Iberian peninsulas for seed production which were compared to four commercial cultivars. Besides seed production, in the experiment plant characterization, according to the main IBPGRI descriptors, was performed. Seeds were sown in seedling trays and were transplanted when they had 4-5 expanded leaves. An experimental field (following a density of 2 plants m-2) was carried out with the aim to determine seed yields. The experimental design was a splitplot with three replicates. Siliquas were collected from ten plants for each replicas when the seeds reached their physiological maturity. Seed production showed significant differences among the compared genotypes; it varied from 0.59 q ha-1 to 25.69 q ha-1 respectively for one Italian and one Iberian types; the Italian landraces showed to be more productive. Plant characterization highlighted allowed to highlight the descriptors which appeared more discriminating such as plant shape, as well as several leaf and petiole traits.


Fig. 1. Cluster analysis of the analyzed materials. 
Fig. 2. Distribution of the studied materials in the space described by the first three principal components. 
Table 2 . IBPGRI and UPOV descriptors utilized.
Table 4 . Correlation coefficient of individual parameters with the principal components.
Morphological Characterization of the ECPGR Wild Brassica Species Collection

September 2013

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792 Reads

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7 Citations

Acta Horticulturae

A project planned by the Brassica WG in the frame of Phase VIII (2009-2013) of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) allowed to characterize several populations of wild Brassica in the same environmental condition, with the aim to characterize a collection of accessions conserved in several European genebanks. We characterized 26 accessions of wild Brassica species including Brassica barrelieri, Brassica balearica, Brassica bourgeaui, Brassica cretica, Brassica desnottesii, Brassica drepanensis, Brassica fruticulosa, Brassica hilarionis, Brassica insularis, Brassica incana, Brassica macrocarpa, Brassica montana, Brassica oleracea wild type, Brassica rapa, Brassica rupestris and Brassica villosa. The biomorphological characterization was performed by the main IBPGR descriptors. The data obtained were processed using SPSS program by applying the hierarchical cluster analysis with the method of the complete linkage (furthest neighbour). The cluster analysis classified the studied accessions in seven main groups with different characteristics.


Seed Production and Plant Characterization of Sicilian Landraces of Broccoli

September 2013

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49 Reads

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1 Citation

Acta Horticulturae

Broccoli seems to have been domesticated in the eastern Mediterranean area where it began the process of domestication that has given rise to current types and landraces of which many are today grown in south Italy and in Sicily. We characterised ten landraces of broccoli grown in several areas of Sicily utilising the principal IBPGR descriptor used for this crop and we registered their seed production. Six heads of each landraces, harvested at commercial ripening stage, were collected to detect some characters such as the fresh weight, longitudinal and transverse size, stem diameter, grain size, colour, angle of curvature and the chromatic parameters (CIE L* a* b*) of the main head. With regard to seed production we registered seed yield for each landraces at seed physiological maturity. The landraces showed significant differences especially for some characters, such as fresh weight, height, maximum diameter, angle of curvature, chromatic parameters a* and b* of the main head. Seed production showed a significant variance among the landraces studied and varied from 3.4 to 20.1 q ha-1.


A survey of Sicilian vegetable landraces

September 2010

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73 Reads

Surveying biodiversity in vegetable industry leads to the exploitation of all Euphyuta divisions and number of Protophyta ones. In the recent past this agrobiodiversity was worldwide represented by a large number of species along with a wide intraspecific expression characterized by several varietas, subspecies, cultivars and landraces. Nowadays, especially in the Western countries, we are assisting to a high specialization of the farms, a trend of cropping with highly performing hybrids and an international exchange of fruits and vegetables, resulting in all year round presence of standard products on retail shelves, which led to the globalization of consumers eating traditions. These changes in farming and consuming customs has determined a constant loss of many natural agroecosystems, with the consequence of a worldwide reduction of genetic variability in vegetables industry. Sicily, the main Mediterranean island, because of its topography (70% is hilly), high soil variability and mild winter climate conditions has been historically considered as a natural “reservoir” of germplasm for many vegetable crops and their wild relatives; moreover the geographical position of the island helped over the time the exchange of genetic material between sailors cruising across the Mediterranean sea. For several of crops landraces are present in various districts of Sicily, grown mostly in urban and periurban vegetable gardens and self propagated by the growers. Because of the mentioned geographical and anthropological peculiarities of the island, a number of different agroecosystems are present, which reflect different cropping and cooking traditions of the islander communities. At the DOFATA, during the past decade, a collection and survey of Sicilian vegetable crops has been done. The investigation aimed at collecting germplasm and highlighting, when marked, differences between landraces, quite often on farm propagated, of vegetable crops which characterize the Sicilian cooking traditions and the Mediterranean diet. To this aim a number of accessions of onion, Brassicas, aubergine, cowpeas, basil, garlic and squash, were grown and characterized. One example might be given by cauliflower and broccoli, for which Sicily is one of the main origin and diversification centre. For this crops, several lines with high content of antioxidants were characterize and selected for breeding purposes. The differences between the investigated landraces highlighted the broadness of Sicilian vegetable germplasm, as a result of a firm link between people and local products and the on farm conservation and propagation of local genetic material.



Citations (6)


... These substances offer a broad spectrum of health benefits thanks to their various biological activities [1][2][3][4]. Beyond taxonomic diversity, B. oleracea exhibits a substantial range of morphological and molecular variation within its varieties, reflecting a rich potential for selective cultivation and dietary applications [5][6][7]. ...

Reference:

Genetic Relationships and Molecular Signatures of Divergence in Traditional Landraces and Morphotypes of Brassica oleracea
Diversity of Sicilian broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) landraces and their distinctive bio-morphological, antioxidant, and genetic traits

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution

... Broccoli is important for its cancer-protective compounds; in particular, for its content of glucoraphanin, and its active form sulforaphane. Sicilian landraces of violet cauliflower could be considered an environmentally friendly crop, being characterized by high plant rusticity and adaptability to the Mediterranean climatic condition that allows one to limit the use of pesticides and fertilizers for its cultivation [98]. ...

Characteristics and seed production of sicilian landraces of violet cauliflower
  • Citing Article
  • September 2013

Acta Horticulturae

... Most broccoli heirlooms derive from landraces which are selected by local farmers for their high sensorial traits (Stansell and Björkman, 2020). Among them, Sicilian broccoli landraces exhibit large differences in terms of several bio-morphometric traits especially for plant branching, inflorescence fresh weight and its architecture and significant variation was also reported in terms of broccoli seed production in relation to the genotype and to its main plant branches (Branca et al., 2013Treccarichi et al., 2021). Sicilian broccoli accession including F1 hybrids, landraces and synthetic lines developed by landraces were evaluated for their performance and stability under low-input and organic conditions (Ciancaleoni et al., 2014). ...

Seed Production and Plant Characterization of Sicilian Landraces of Broccoli
  • Citing Article
  • September 2013

Acta Horticulturae

... The term "broccoli" comes from the Italian plural of "broccolo", which means "the flowering crest of a cabbage" [4]. As for its origin, the leading hypothesis is that broccoli evolved from wild ancestors in the eastern part of the Mediterranean [5,6] and was subsequently introduced in the United Kingdom in the 1700s and in the United States and China in the 1800s [7]. ...

Diversity characterisation of broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck) landraces for their on-farm (in situ) safeguard and use in breeding programs

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution

... The tribe Brassicaceae is one of the 13-19 tribes which were recognized within the family, [3][4][5] and the most important economically [5][6][7]. Plants belonging to Brassicaceae have a large worldwide distribution but are not found in Antarctica [8]. The genus Brassica is one of 51 genera in the tribe Brassicaceae [9]. ...

Morphological Characterization of the ECPGR Wild Brassica Species Collection

Acta Horticulturae