Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) a long-lived dioecious monocotyledon (2n=36) is the major factor of oases environmental and economic stability. Unlike other North Africa countries, in which the predominance of elite cultivars determined severe genetic erosion, in Libya date palm germplasm still preserves an enormous richness. The biodiversity of date palm is attested by more than 400 different accessions, which were described at the beginning of XXth century and are still present in the country. The date palm germoplasm deserves nowadays to be evaluated with the aim both to preserve and to exploit it. In Libya, each palm grove is typified by a distinct cultivar composition, which results from a local selection within the oases. Date palms have always been clonally propagated by offshoots to ensure the identity and uniformity of the cultivars. However intra-cultivar variation could potentially cause errors in cultivar identification. Microsatellite (SSR), because of their effectiveness in assessing genetic diversity, were used to perform the genetic fingerprinting of the date palms. The Al Jufrah oasis, which consists of 5 localities and represents one of the most interesting regions for date palm cultivation in central Libya, was chosen for sampling. Eighteen cultivars representing common genotypes in the oasis and selected for their good fruit quality, were analysed using sixteen highly polymorphic SSR loci. A high level of polymorphism was detected among cultivars. An identification key was built using three microsatellite loci that identified 23 alleles in total. The totality of local cultivars were univocally and easily identified on the base of their allelic profile so confirming SSR as an effective method for clone fingerprinting and cultivar identification. Considering the SSR effectiveness in fingerprinting genotypes, we used them to assign male plants, sampled in each farms of the different localities of Al Jufrah oasis. The method of maximum-likelihood paternity assignment allowed to assign males to a single cultivar: 55 out of the 63 male plants were assigned to cultivars with strict confidence. The positive result obtained identifying male trees further confirming the suitability of SSR for genotyping, opens new prospects for date palm breeding.

Date palms of Al Jufrah oasis: genetic fingerprinting of local cultivars and impollinators / Racchi M. L.; A. Camussi. - STAMPA. - (2014), pp. 1-9. (Intervento presentato al convegno Dies Palmarum tenutosi a Sanremo nel 5-7 Dicembre 2013).

Date palms of Al Jufrah oasis: genetic fingerprinting of local cultivars and impollinators

RACCHI, MILVIA LUISA;CAMUSSI, ALESSANDRO
2014

Abstract

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) a long-lived dioecious monocotyledon (2n=36) is the major factor of oases environmental and economic stability. Unlike other North Africa countries, in which the predominance of elite cultivars determined severe genetic erosion, in Libya date palm germplasm still preserves an enormous richness. The biodiversity of date palm is attested by more than 400 different accessions, which were described at the beginning of XXth century and are still present in the country. The date palm germoplasm deserves nowadays to be evaluated with the aim both to preserve and to exploit it. In Libya, each palm grove is typified by a distinct cultivar composition, which results from a local selection within the oases. Date palms have always been clonally propagated by offshoots to ensure the identity and uniformity of the cultivars. However intra-cultivar variation could potentially cause errors in cultivar identification. Microsatellite (SSR), because of their effectiveness in assessing genetic diversity, were used to perform the genetic fingerprinting of the date palms. The Al Jufrah oasis, which consists of 5 localities and represents one of the most interesting regions for date palm cultivation in central Libya, was chosen for sampling. Eighteen cultivars representing common genotypes in the oasis and selected for their good fruit quality, were analysed using sixteen highly polymorphic SSR loci. A high level of polymorphism was detected among cultivars. An identification key was built using three microsatellite loci that identified 23 alleles in total. The totality of local cultivars were univocally and easily identified on the base of their allelic profile so confirming SSR as an effective method for clone fingerprinting and cultivar identification. Considering the SSR effectiveness in fingerprinting genotypes, we used them to assign male plants, sampled in each farms of the different localities of Al Jufrah oasis. The method of maximum-likelihood paternity assignment allowed to assign males to a single cultivar: 55 out of the 63 male plants were assigned to cultivars with strict confidence. The positive result obtained identifying male trees further confirming the suitability of SSR for genotyping, opens new prospects for date palm breeding.
2014
Dies Palmarum: un intreccio di culture
Dies Palmarum
Sanremo
5-7 Dicembre 2013
Racchi M. L.; A. Camussi
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/977189
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