The cultivation of rye in marginal Alpine environments: a comparison of the agronomic, technological, health and sanitary traits of local landraces and commercial cultivars

Rye is a secondary crop that is characterized by a higher tolerance to climatically less favorable conditions than other cereal species. For this reason, rye was historically used as a fundamental raw material for bread production and as a supply of straw in northern parts of Europe as well as in mountain environments, such as Alpine valleys, where locally adapted landraces have continued to be cultivated over the years. In this study, rye landraces collected in different valleys in the Northwest Italian Alps have been selected as the most genetically isolated within their geographical contexts and cultivated in two different marginal Alpine environments. The traits concerning their agronomy, mycotoxin contamination, bioactive content, as well as their technological and baking quality were assessed to characterize and compare rye landraces with commercial wheat and rye cultivars. Rye cultivars showed the same grain yield level as wheat in both environments. Only the genotype selected from the Maira Valley was characterized by tall and thin culms and a proneness to lodging, thereby resulting in a lower yield capacity. Among the rye cultivars, the hybrid one presented the highest yield potential, but also the highest susceptibility to the occurrence of ergot sclerotia. However, the rye cultivars, especially the landraces, were characterized by higher concentrations of minerals, soluble fibers, and soluble phenolic acids, and thus both their flours and breads had superior antioxidant properties. A 40% substitution of refined wheat flour with whole-grain rye flour led to a higher dough water absorption and a lower stability, thereby resulting in lower loaf volumes and darker products. Agronomically and qualitatively speaking, the rye landraces diverged significantly from the conventional rye cultivars, thus reflecting their genetic distinctiveness. The landrace from the Maira Valley shared a high content in phenolic acids and good antioxidant properties with the one from the Susa Valley and, when combined with wheat flour, turned out to be the most suitable for bread making. Overall, the results have highlighted the suitability of reintroducing historic rye supply chains, based on the cultivation of local landraces in marginal environments and the production of value-added bakery goods.

Orphan Crops: A Best Fit for Dietary Enrichment and Diversification in Highly Deteriorated Marginal Environments

Orphan crops are indigenous and invariably grown by small and marginal farmers under subsistence farming systems. These crops, which are common and widely accepted by local farmers, are highly rich in nutritional profile, good for medicinal purposes, and well adapted to suboptimal growing conditions. However, these crops have suffered neglect and abandonment from the scientific community because of very low or no investments in research and genetic improvement. A plausible reason for this is that these crops are not traded internationally at a rate comparable to that of the major food crops such as wheat, rice, and maize. Furthermore, marginal environments have poor soils and are characterized by extreme weather conditions such as heat, erratic rainfall, water deficit, and soil and water salinity, among others. With more frequent extreme climatic events and continued land degradation, orphan crops are beginning to receive renewed attention as alternative crops for dietary diversification in marginal environments and, by extension, across the globe. Increased awareness of good health is also a major contributor to the revived attention accorded to orphan crops. Thus, the introduction, evaluation, and adaptation of outstanding varieties of orphan crops for dietary diversification will contribute not only to sustained food production but also to improved nutrition in marginal environments. In this review article, the concept of orphan crops vis-à-vis marginality and food and nutritional security is defined for a few orphan crops. We also examined recent advances in research involving orphan crops and the potential of these crops for dietary diversification within the context of harsh marginal environments. Recent advances in genomics coupled with molecular breeding will play a pivotal role in improving the genetic potential of orphan crops and help in developing sustainable food systems. We concluded by presenting a potential roadmap to future research engagement and a policy framework with recommendations aimed at facilitating and enhancing the adoption and sustainable production of orphan crops under agriculturally marginal conditions.

Genome-Wide Convergence during Evolution of Mangroves from Woody Plants

When living organisms independently invade a new environment, the evolution of similar phenotypic traits is often observed. An interesting but contentious issue is whether the underlying molecular biology also converges in the new habitat. Independent invasions of tropical intertidal zones by woody plants, collectively referred to as mangrove trees, represent some dramatic examples. The high salinity, hypoxia, and other stressors in the new habitat might have affected both genomic features and protein structures. Here, we developed a new method for detecting convergence at conservative Sites (CCS) and applied it to the genomic sequences of mangroves. In simulations, the CCS method drastically reduces random convergence at rapidly evolving sites as well as falsely inferred convergence caused by the misinferences of the ancestral character. In mangrove genomes, we estimated ∼400 genes that have experienced convergence over the background level of convergence in the nonmangrove relatives. The convergent genes are enriched in pathways related to stress response and embryo development, which could be important for mangroves' adaptation to the new habitat.