Caratterizzazione dell'olivo selvatico siciliano mediante analisi dei microsatelliti per la conservazione e la valorizzazione delle risorse genetiche vegetali

GENETIC CHARACTERISATION THROUGH MICROSATELLITES ANALYSIS OF SICILIAN WILD OLIVE FOR CONSERVATION AND VALORISATION OF NATURAL GENETIC RESOURCES Within the issues related to biodiversity conservation and valorisation of local plant germplasm a genetic analysis, through molecular markers, was carried out on 10 wild olive populations, from different areas of Sicily. Moreover, wild material was compared with five Sicilian cultivars, selected among the most widespread at regional scale. Results pointed out the absence of genetic affinities between wild populations and domestic varieties, supporting the assumption that domestication processes took place outside the regional territory. Although current oleaster communities are usually small relics of fragmented and degraded forests, this species still exhibits a certain intra- and inter-population genetic diversity. These results demonstrate that the gene pool of Sicilian wild olive represents a remarkable, but so far not sufficiently explored resource, of potential great concern both in agronomy and forestry.