Progenitori selvatici e forme coltivate di Apiaceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae e Rosaceae: primi risultati per il territorio dell’Umbria (Italia centrale)

Crops and wild relatives of Apiaceae, Brassicaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae and Rosaceae familes: first results for Umbria Region (Central Italy) – Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) are wild plant taxa more or less closely related to species of direct socio-economic importance and that have an indirect use for their genetic relationship to a crop. They possess traits, such as biotic and abiotic stress resistance or valuable characteristics from a qualitative point of view, that can be bred into crops to address the environmental and market demand changes. For these reasons they are a valuable part of biodiversity although they are generally neglected by conservation policies and actions. European CWR are currently suffering erosion and extinction and, considered that they are generally neglected by conservation policies, it is crucial to set up a conservation strategy for them. There are more than 12,500 native species to Europe, but information about CWR species distribution and conservation status is almost completely lacking. To create European and national CWR lists is the first step to be able to protect them. This work was carried out within the frame of the project “Novel characterization of crop wild relative and landrace resources as a basis for improved crop breeding” (PGR secure, 2011-2013 EC FP-KBBE- 2010-103 GA n. 266394) aimed at producing an Italian CWR list and conservation strategy. In this context, we initially analysed a large amount of CWR floristic and phytosociological literature relative to Umbria and central Italy surveys. The surveys are equally distributed in both protected (National Park as Monti Sibillini and Regional Natural Parks as Trasimeno Lake, Mount Cucco and Mount Subasio) and non-protected areas, in habitats like the road margins or the cultivated areas. The work was initially focused on the CWR belonging to Aegopodium, Apium, Avena, Beta, Brassica, Helosciadium, Petroselinum, Prunus and Smyrnium genera for which many cultivated forms of great economic importance exist. According to the reviewed literature, 1 species of Aegopodium, 1 species of Apium, 1 species of Helosciadium, 1 species of Petroselinum, 1 species of Smyrnium, 5 of Avena, 2 of Beta, 4 of Brassica and 10 of Prunus are recorded in the area of Umbria (Central Italy). The less mentioned taxa are: Brassica gravinae Ten, B. rapa L., Prunus armeniaca L., P. domestica L. subsp. domestica and P. domestica L. subsp. insititia (L.) Bonnier & Layens. The most represented species are: Avena barbata Pott ex Link, A. fatua L., Prunus avium L., P. mahaleb L. and P. spinosa L. The actual presence of the identified species and of their populations will be assessed through surveys in the mentioned sites. The next step will be to hierarchize the territorial grid according to the species record density and to cross these data with the land use, in order to outline a model which can point out the most CWR-rich landscapes.