Italy's forgotten almond trees hold untapped genetic diversity
Savoia M, Sgaramella N, Micheletti A, Staffolani P, Gaeta L, Venerito P, Miazzi M, Fanelli V, Montemurro C.
Crop Improvement
Those gnarled almond trees scattered along old farm borders and hillsides in central Italy may carry drought tolerance or disease resistance that commercial almond orchards lost generations ago.
Scientists went looking at old almond trees growing wild or semi-wild across central Italy, the kind nobody planted for a big orchard but that have survived for decades on their own. Using DNA markers, they showed these trees are genetically distinct from the almond varieties sold in nurseries today. That diversity matters because it's a reservoir of traits, like resilience to drought or pests, that could be bred back into modern almond crops.
Key Findings
Molecular markers revealed significant genetic diversity among traditional, unexploited almond accessions in central Italy
Many sampled trees were genetically distinct from commercially cultivated almond varieties
The study proposes targeted conservation strategies to preserve this genetic material for future breeding programs
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers used genetic fingerprinting to study old, overlooked almond trees growing across central Italy, finding hidden diversity that could help breeders and conservationists protect traits lost from modern orchards.
Species Mentioned
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The almond is a species of tree from the genus Prunus. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the woody shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.