The Relevance of Discovering and Recovering the Biodiversity of Apulian Almond Germplasm by Means of Molecular and Phenotypic Markers

Almond cultivation has great traditional and economic relevance in Southern Italy, especiallyin the Apulia region, where almond trees feature an ample and ancient varietal richness. Tocontrast the loss of plant genetic erosion and to safeguard the available bioresources, as well as toreinforce the local production, the regional Re.Ge.Fru.P. project aimed to re-evaluate, identify, andcharacterize the Apulian almond germplasm that is still uncharacterized and not jet studied usinga dual (genetic and morphological) approach. Collection was conducted in the regional territory of187 among the most widespread and minor or marginalized genotypes that were molecularly fingerprintedby means of 18 nuclear microsatellites (simple sequence repeats, SSRs). The high numberof scored alleles reflected the great level of diversification within the Apulian germplasm, as alsoconfirmed by neighbor joining and structure analysis, that clearly distinguished different genotypeclusters. The phenotypic characterization using 17 morphological and phenological descriptors mirroredthe genetic results, revealing a high degree of variability. The morphological traits with thebest discriminatory ability were nut ventral suture, shell softness and shape and petal color. Thiswork emphasizes the importance of recovering the genetic variability of Apulian almondgermplasm, and the need to promote added value and enhance the local agri-food economy.