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Agronomy
Special Issues
New Strategies of Crop Genetic Conservation for Promoting Agro-Biodiversity
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New Strategies of Crop Genetic Conservation for Promoting Agro-Biodiversity

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Crop Breeding and Genetics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2022) | Viewed by 8608

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Roberto Pilu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences—Production, Landscape, Agroenergy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: breeding; molecular plant breeding; plant genetics; plant genomics; agrobiodiversity; germplasm bank
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleague,

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines agrobiodiversity as all of the components of biological diversity that are relevant to food and agriculture, including ecosystems. It, therefore, encompasses the variety and variability of plants, animals, microorganism species, and ecosystem levels that are essential to sustaining agricultural production. Agrobiodiversity is the result of natural selection and human selection over millennia; it has an essential role in sustainable development, for providing food, fiber, fuel, fodder, medicines and other products for subsistence, etc. Furthermore, agrobiodiversity plays an essential role in supplying raw genetic materials for breeding new varieties of plants and animals, for providing people with social, cultural, aesthetic and amenity values and, last but not least, for scientific purposes. In this Special Issue, we will focus on providing a unique compendium that highlights the developments in new strategies for promoting agrobiodiversity. Contributions to this Special Issue are invited from scientists working at all system levels, including species, varieties, organism and environment/ecological perspectives. Furthermore, contributions from breeders concerning studies, development, and utilization of genetically improved materials will be welcomed.

Dr. Roberto Pilu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agrobiodiversity
  • landraces
  • conservation genetics
  • germplasm bank

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3504 KiB  
Article
Agriculture in Marginal Areas: Reintroduction of Rye and Wheat Varieties for Breadmaking in the Antrona Valley
by Federico Colombo, Nicolò Franguelli, Gianni Licheri, Martina Ghidoli, Elena Cassani, Lorenzo Castelli, Matias Pasquali, Andrea Bresciani, Alessandra Marti, Matteo Dell’Anno, Luciana Rossi, Ivano De Negri, Michela Landoni and Roberto Pilu
Agronomy 2022, 12(7), 1695; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12071695 - 18 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1529
Abstract
In marginal lands, cereal landraces continue to be important in agricultural production, whereas hybrids lose their competitive advantage. In this context, selection for adaptation to each environment is particularly important in crops grown under unfavourable conditions, e.g., mountain areas. In this work, from [...] Read more.
In marginal lands, cereal landraces continue to be important in agricultural production, whereas hybrids lose their competitive advantage. In this context, selection for adaptation to each environment is particularly important in crops grown under unfavourable conditions, e.g., mountain areas. In this work, from a panel of traditional and modern varieties, mixtures and evolutionary populations, a randomised block experiment was established to select the most productive and suitable wheat and rye varieties specific for the Antrona Valley. The nutritional analysis of each flour was carried out. The results obtained in two years of varietal comparison suggested that rye is more suitable than wheat for growing in this environment: Alpina rye showed the highest yield/m2 and the highest ash content (1.87% ± 0.03%; p < 0.05) compared to other varieties, indicating it as suitable for the baking process. Among wheats, San Pastore showed the highest number of ears/m2 (411 and 350; p < 0.05) compared to others. However, in a context of climate change, the cultivation of Solibam could ensure yield stability, thanks to the high variability within the evolutionary population. Overall, our results demonstrated the possible reintroduction of the cereal supply chain in the Valley and the resumption of the historic rye bread production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Strategies of Crop Genetic Conservation for Promoting Agro-Biodiversity)
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16 pages, 3633 KiB  
Article
Low-Phytate Grains to Enhance Phosphorus Sustainability in Agriculture: Chasing Drought Stress in lpa1-1 Mutant
by Federico Colombo, Greta Bertagnon, Martina Ghidoli, Michele Pesenti, Luca Giupponi and Roberto Pilu
Agronomy 2022, 12(3), 721; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12030721 - 16 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1730
Abstract
Phytic acid (PA) is an anti-nutritional factor for monogastrics and contributes to phosphorus pollution. The low phytic acid (lpa) trait can provide several benefits to the nutritional quality of foods/feeds and to environmental sustainability. In maize, four lpa1 mutants have been isolated, [...] Read more.
Phytic acid (PA) is an anti-nutritional factor for monogastrics and contributes to phosphorus pollution. The low phytic acid (lpa) trait can provide several benefits to the nutritional quality of foods/feeds and to environmental sustainability. In maize, four lpa1 mutants have been isolated, and lpa1-1 is the most promising. Nevertheless, these mutations are frequently accompanied by many negative pleiotropic effects affecting plant performance. One of these is a greater susceptibility to drought stress, probably caused by an alteration in the root system. In this work, we set up an experiment in hydroponics and two in mesocosms, where pots were built using transparent PVC sheets to better access the roots. The results suggested that neither root architecture nor root depth are limiting factors in mutant plants. In hydroponics, the dry weight of the mutant and the root area per unit of length were twice that of B73. However, lpa1-1 exhibited a reduced efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm, 0.810 vs. 0.800) and a reduced leaf temperature (−0.5 °C compared to wild-type), probably due to increased water loss. Furthermore, molecular analysis performed on genes involved in root development (rtcs, rtcl, rum1, and BIGE1) revealed the abundance of rtcs transcripts in the mutant, suggesting an alteration in auxin polar transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Strategies of Crop Genetic Conservation for Promoting Agro-Biodiversity)
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19 pages, 2974 KiB  
Article
Biochemical Characterisation and Genetic Structure Provide Insight into the Diversity of the Mediterranean Tomato Ancient Varieties ‘San Marzano’ and ‘Re Fiascone’: New Resources for Breeding
by Pasquale Tripodi, Rosa Pepe, Gianluca Francese, Macellaro Rosaria, Vincenzo Onofaro Sanajà, Carlo Di Cesare, Giovanna Festa, Antonietta D’Alessandro and Giuseppe Mennella
Agronomy 2022, 12(1), 18; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy12010018 - 23 Dec 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2330
Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops highly appreciated for the nutritional properties and content of beneficial compounds for human health. After its domestication, this crop has been spread throughout the world and found its secondary centre [...] Read more.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops highly appreciated for the nutritional properties and content of beneficial compounds for human health. After its domestication, this crop has been spread throughout the world and found its secondary centre of diversification in the Mediterranean basin, where numerous landraces have been developed. Among these, ‘San Marzano’ is a famous and remunerative PDO variety for processing and fresh market consumption. ‘Re Fiascone’ is an ancient cultivar for which ongoing efforts aim to promote its diffusion and commercialisation. Both find their origin in the Campania region in Southern Italy where in the past decades, several accessions have been selected and handed down by farmers. This study reports a comprehensive assessment for morphological and biochemical traits of twenty-one accessions of the two landraces. Fruit morphology and content of sugars and flavonoids were the most discriminating parameters among cultivars. Among sugars and organic acids, fructose and citric acid were the most represented compounds, respectively. We found level of trans-lycopene and β-carotene up to 112.82 and 16.29 µg g−1 of fresh product, respectively, while ascorbic acid levels reached values up to 22.48 mg 100 g−1 of fresh weight. Molecular analysis has been performed using a double approach for microsatellite genotyping based on capillary electrophoresis and high-resolution melting. Results highlighted a separation of the accessions according to ‘Re Fiascone’ and ‘San Marzano’ identifying both unique and admixed accessions between the two groups. The study approach aims at the recovery and valorisation of local genetic resources, but also at the identification of traits of interest to transfer in breeding programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Strategies of Crop Genetic Conservation for Promoting Agro-Biodiversity)
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15 pages, 4415 KiB  
Article
The Ancient Varieties of Mountain Maize: The Inheritance of the Pointed Character and Its Effect on the Natural Drying Process
by Stefano Sangiorgio, Federico Colombo, Martina Ghidoli, Luca Giupponi, Giulio Ferro, Carlo Giovanni Ferro, Elena Cassani, Michela Landoni and Roberto Pilu
Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2295; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/agronomy11112295 - 12 Nov 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2409
Abstract
The introduction of mechanized agricultural practices after the Second World War and the use of productive hybrids led to a gradual disappearance of local maize varieties. However, 13 landraces are still cultivated in North-Western Italy, in the Lombardy region; those that are cultivated [...] Read more.
The introduction of mechanized agricultural practices after the Second World War and the use of productive hybrids led to a gradual disappearance of local maize varieties. However, 13 landraces are still cultivated in North-Western Italy, in the Lombardy region; those that are cultivated in mountainous areas (roughly up to 1200 m in altitude) are often characterized by the pointed shape of their seeds (i.e., “Nero Spinoso”, “Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta”, “Spinato di Gandino” and “Scagliolo di Carenno”) and the presence of pigments (i.e., “Nero Spinoso”, “Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta”). The pointed shape of the seeds is an ancient characteristic of maize-ancestors, which negatively affects the yield by not allowing optimal “filling” of the ear. This study reports work on four different Italian varieties of pointed maize in order to assess the genetic bases of the “pointed character” and to try to explain the reasons for this adaptation to the mountain environment. The data obtained by genetic analysis, seed air-drying modeling and thermographic camera observations demonstrated that the “pointed trait” is controlled by the same genes across the different varieties studied and suggested that this peculiar shape has been selected in mountainous areas because it promotes faster drying of the seed, with the presence of pigments implementing this effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Strategies of Crop Genetic Conservation for Promoting Agro-Biodiversity)
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