Diversity and Relationships among Neglected Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Landraces Using Morphological Traits and SSR Markers: Implications for Agro-Biodiversity Conservation

Genetic Diversity Analysis and Fingerprint Construction for 87 Passionfruit (Passiflora spp.) Germplasm Accessions on the Basis of SSR Fluorescence Markers

A comprehensive genetic diversity analysis of 87 Passiflora germplasm accessions domesticated and cultivated for several years in the karst region of Guizhou, China, was conducted utilizing simple sequence repeat (SSR) fluorescent markers. These Passiflora species, renowned for their culinary and medicinal value, could bring significant economic and ecological benefits to the region. This study aimed to assess the genetic resources of these species and facilitate the selection of superior cultivars adapted to the karst environment. Our analysis revealed an abundance of SSR loci within the Passiflora transcriptome, with single-base repeats being the most prevalent type. Through rigorous primer screening and amplification, we successfully identified 27 SSR primer pairs exhibiting robust polymorphisms. Further interrogation at eight microsatellite loci revealed 68 alleles, underscoring the high level of genetic diversity present in the cultivated accessions. The average expected heterozygosity was 0.202, with the ssr18 locus exhibiting the highest value of 0.768, indicating significant genetic variation. The mean polymorphic information content (PIC) of 0.657 indicates the informativeness of these SSR markers. Comparative analyses of the cultivated and potential wild progenitors revealed distinct genetic variations among the different Passiflora types. Genetic structure and clustering analyses of the 87 accessions revealed seven distinct groups, suggesting gene flow and similarities among the resources. Notably, a DNA fingerprinting system was established using eight SSR primer pairs, effectively distinguishing the selected cultivars that had adapted to the karst mountainous region. This study not only deepens our understanding of Passiflora genetic resources in the karst environment but also provides a valuable reference for conservation, genetic improvement, and cultivar selection. The rich genetic diversity of the Passiflora germplasm underscores their potential for sustainable utilization in breeding programs aimed at enhancing the economic and ecological viability of these valuable plant species.

Genetic Analysis and Construction of a Fingerprint for Licensed Triadica sebifera Cultivars Using SSR Markers

Triadica sebifera is an important landscaping tree species because of its colorful autumn leaves. In recent years, some cultivars have been bred and licensed, but it can be difficult to identify them from their morphological traits due to their similar phenotypes. To explore the genetic relationships and construct a fingerprint of the cultivars, the licensed T. sebifera cultivars were analyzed using SSR markers. A total of 179 alleles were identified among the 21 cultivars at 16 SSR loci, and these alleles exhibited a high level of genetic diversity (He = 0.86). The genetic variations mainly occurred among cultivars based on an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA). According to phylogenetic analysis, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), and Bayesian clustering analysis, the genetic relationships were independent of geographic distances, which may be mainly due to transplantations between regions. Some cultivars with different leaf colors showed obvious genetic differentiation and may be preliminary candidates for cross-breeding. Finally, the fingerprint for the licensed cultivars was constructed with two SSR markers. The results of this study can provide technical support for the application and legal protection of licensed Triadica sebifera cultivars.

Biodiversity Evaluation and Preservation of Italian Stone Fruit Germplasm (Peach and Apricot) in Southern Italy

The Prunus genus encompasses a group of economically important and closely related crops, sharing an essentially common genome and, thereby, a high level of conserved and transferable microsatellite (SSR) loci. In Southern Italy, many of the local and/or neglected varieties are abandoned and at risk of extinction due to the high degree of urbanization and agricultural intensification, despite their value as genetic resources for crop improvement. This research aimed to genetically and morphologically characterize the traditional apricot (P. armenica) and peach (P. persica) germplasms collected in old family orchards. Most of the official descriptor categories were scored, thus revealing a rather high level of phenotypic variation in both collections. Genetic data allowed the discovery of diversity masked by morphological traits. Genotyping in 15 and 18 SSRs, eight of which were transferable across both species, showed an average polymorphic informativeness (PIC) of 0.44 and 0.59 for apricot and peach, respectively, and a total of 70 and 144 alleles. A reliable identification of each genotype was achieved, and the presence of possible mislabeling and/or erroneous denominations was solved. These results are encouraging for the valorization of the still poorly explored Italian Prunus germplasm, with significant economic consequences for bioresource conservation and management.

Morphological, Biochemical, and Molecular Diversity of an Indian Ex Situ Collection of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.)

Pomegranate (Punica granatum, L.) is a fruit tree that is increasingly popular worldwide due to the health-related properties of the fruit juice. While several studies highlighted the rich phytochemical diversity, few efforts have been devoted to an integrative understanding of the level of diversity of this species. This study investigated the diversity of 40 pomegranate accessions in an Indian ex situ collection by using twenty-nine morphological traits, six biochemical parameters, and twenty-nine Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) markers. Among the evaluated traits, fruit volume (23.34% CV), fruit weight (21.12% CV), and fruit color (*a) (22.69 % CV) largely contributed to the morphological classification. Based on Mahalanobis D2 distance and Tocher's clustering, the 40 pomegranate accessions were grouped into eight clusters, partly consistent with their origin. Specifically, cultivars introduced from foreign countries were present in distinct clusters. The SSR marker analysis generated 66 alleles. The observed heterozygosity values ranged from 0.05 to 0.63, with a mean value of 0.30. Maximum molecular genetic dissimilarity was observed between 'IC-318720' and 'Gul-e-Shah Red' (0.30). The neighbor-joining dendrogram separated wild accessions from cultivated varieties. The combination of morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterization allowed for comprehensively characterizing the pomegranate diversity and provided information on the relationships between the different aspects of the diversity. This work also suggests that the origin of the accessions is an important factor of discrimination and that the level of admixture between local and foreign material is currently limited.

Valorization of Traditional Italian Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Production: Genetic, Nutritional and Sensory Characterization of Locally Grown Varieties in the Trentino Region

Juglans regia (L.) is cultivated worldwide for its nutrient-rich nuts. In Italy, despite the growing demand, walnut cultivation has gone through a strong decline in recent decades, which led to Italy being among the top five net importing countries. To promote the development of local high-quality Italian walnut production, we devised a multidisciplinary project to highlight the distinctive traits of three varieties grown in the mountainous region Trentino (northeast of Italy): the heirloom ‘Bleggiana’, a second local accession called local Franquette and the French cultivar ‘Lara’, recently introduced in the local production to increase yield. The genetic characterization confirmed the uniqueness of ‘Bleggiana’ and revealed local Franquette as a newly described autochthonous variety, thus named ‘Blegette’. The metabolic profiles highlighted a valuable nutritional composition of the local varieties, richer in polyphenols and with a lower ω-6/ω-3 ratio than the commercial ‘Lara’. ‘Blegette’ obtained the highest preference scores from consumers for both the visual aspect and tasting; however, the volatile organic compound profiles did not discriminate among the characterized cultivars. The described local varieties represent an interesting reservoir of walnut genetic diversity and quality properties, which deserve future investigation on agronomically useful traits (e.g., local adaptation and water usage) for a high-quality and sustainable production.

Diversity in Morphometric, Pomological, and Fruit-Quality Traits of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) Traditional Varieties: Implications for Landrace Differentiation at Regional Scale

Traditional crop varieties are receiving increasing attention in sustainable agriculture, conservation genetics, and plant science because they offer significant and largely unexplored diversity. The DNA profiling of landraces is being applied to numerous crops, yet a detailed knowledge of morphological diversity is often needed to increase the efficiency of both the conservation and exploitation of local germplasm. In this work, morphological, pomological, and fruit-quality traits (16 qualitative and 16 quantitative) were collected from 44 traditional apricot landraces cultivated in Campania, the Italian region with the highest number of traditional varieties. The aim was to assess varietal diversity and to highlight possible trends and phenotypes that may have driven the morphological differentiation. All traits were polymorphic, and each variety had a distinctive phenotype. The qualitative and quantitative traits provided different classifications of the varieties. Nonetheless, the Factorial Analysis of Mixed data indicated that, for both categories of variables, the fruit traits were the most influential for landrace classification. Interestingly, some easily discernible color phenotypes of the fruits mostly contributed to the discrimination of the analyzed apricot germplasm. We conclude that these specific, commercially relevant features of the fruit were important drivers of the differentiation of the cultivated apricot material at regional scale.

Anticancer Potential and Other Pharmacological Properties of Prunus armeniaca L.: An Updated Overview

Prunus armeniaca L. (Rosaceae)-syn. Amygdalus armeniaca (L.) Dumort., Armeniaca armeniaca (L.) Huth, Armeniaca vulgaris Lam is commonly known as the apricot tree. The plant is thought to originate from the northern, north-western, and north-eastern provinces of China, although some data show that it may also come from Korea or Japan. The apricot fruit is used medicinally to treat a variety of ailments, including use as an antipyretic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, emetic, and ophthalmic remedy. The Chinese and Korean pharmacopeias describe the apricot seed as an herbal medicinal product. Various parts of the apricot plant are used worldwide for their anticancer properties, either as a primary remedy in traditional medicine or as a complementary or alternative medicine. The purpose of this review was to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information on ethnobotanical data, bioactive phytochemicals, anticancer potential, pharmacological applications, and toxicology of the genus Prunus armeniaca, thus providing new perspectives on future research directions. Included data were obtained from online databases such as PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, Science direct, and Wiley Online Library. Multiple anticancer mechanisms have been identified in in vitro and in vivo studies, the most important mechanisms being apoptosis, antiproliferation, and cytotoxicity. The anticancer properties are probably mediated by the contained bioactive compounds, which can activate various anticancer mechanisms and signaling pathways such as tumor suppressor proteins that reduce the proliferation of tumor cells. Other pharmacological properties resulting from the analysis of experimental studies include neuroprotective, cardioprotective, antioxidant, immunostimulatory, antihyperlipidemic, antibacterial, and antifungal effects. In addition, data were provided on the toxicity of amygdalin, a compound found in apricot kernel seeds, which limits the long-term use of complementary/alternative products derived from P. armeniaca. This updated review showed that bioactive compounds derived from P. armeniaca are promising compounds for future research due to their important pharmacological properties, especially anticancer. A detailed analysis of the chemical structure of these compounds and their cytotoxicity should be carried out in future research. In addition, translational pharmacological studies are required for the correct determination of pharmacologically active doses in humans.

Biochemical Characterization of Some Varieties of Apricot Present in the Vesuvius Area, Southern Italy

The witnesses of the millenary history of Campania felix in southern Italy highlighted that several fruit and vegetables cultivated in such territory could potentially be a treasure trove of important health elements. Our work evaluated the content of β-carotene, ascorbic acid, and total phenolics and the antioxidant activity of ten typical varieties of apricots cultivated in the Vesuvius area in the Campania region. The total polyphenols varied between 10.24 and 34.04 mg/100 g of a fresh sample. The amount of ascorbic acid also varied greatly, ranging from 2.65 to 10.65 mg/100 g of a fresh product. B-Carotene reached values up to 0.522 mg/100 g of the fresh sample. The correlation analysis performed, accounting for these parameters, showed that the antioxidant activity, calculated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH assay) and azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) tests, was influenced mainly by the content of total polyphenols, with ρ = −0.762 and ρ = 0.875 when we considered DPPH and ABTS tests, respectively, slightly less by the content of ascorbic acid, and not by β-carotene. The dendrogram clustered eight varieties into two main groups; on the other hand, two varieties (“Vitillo” and “Preveta bella”) seemed hierarchically distant. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), herein performed for the first time, demonstrated the influence of the varieties on the VOC profiles, both from a qualitative and semiquantitative perspective, discriminating the varieties in different clusters, each of which was characterized by specific notes. α-Terpinolene was the only terpene identified by GC–MS that appeared to affect the antioxidant activity.

Elucidating Genetic Diversity in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Cultivated in the North-Western Himalayan Provinces of India Using SSR Markers

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is an important temperate fruit crop worldwide. The availability of wild apricot germplasm and its characterization through genomic studies can guide us towards its conservation, increasing productivity and nutritional composition. Therefore, in this study, we carried out the genomic characterization of 50 phenotypically variable accessions by using SSR markers in the erstwhile States of Jammu and Kashmir to reveal genetic variability among accessions and their genetic associations. The genetic parameter results revealed that the number of alleles per locus (Na) ranged from 1 to 6 with a mean Na value of 3.89 and the mean effective number of alleles (Ne) per locus 1.882 with a range of 1.22 to 2. Similarly, the polymorphic information content (PIC) values ranged from 0.464 to 0.104. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) (0.547) was found to have higher than expected heterozygosity (He) (0.453) with average heterozygosity of 0.4483. The dendrogram clustered genotypes into three main clades based on their pedigree. The population structure revealed IV sub-populations with all admixtures except the III sub-population, which was mainly formed of exotic cultivars. The average expected heterozygosity (He) and population differentiation within four sub-populations was 1.78 and 0.04, respectively, and explained 95.0% of the total genetic variance in the population. The results revealed that the SSR marker studies could easily decrypt the genetic variability present within the germplasm, which may form the base for the establishment of good gene banks by reducing redundancy of germplasm, selection of parents for any breeding program.