Genetic characterization of grape genotypes from Apulia and synonymies in other Mediterranean regions

Currently Apulia region accounts about 59 winegrape cultivars authorised for growing, including historical varieties. The existence of autochthonous minor varieties in the region has been recognized and is recently at the centre of a program aiming to their recovery and their further exploitation for commercial use. In the present study, 87 traditional, autochthonous and minor Apulian grapevine accessions were examined for their genetic profiles. Among them, 64 unique genotypes were found. Synonyms among Apulian genotypes and Italian varieties cultivated in Apulia or other Italian regions were identified by searching for genetic matching in different molecular database publicly available and through bibliographic search with published genetic data. The main goal of the current study was to identify, characterise and catalogue local germplasm rich of economical and historical significance.