The artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus Hegi) is an intriguing source of indigestible sugar polymers such as inulin-type fructans. In this study the amount and the quality of inulin-type fructans have been evaluated in the cultivated artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus Hegi) as well as in the wild cardoon (C. cardunculus var. sylvestris L. Fiori). The expression pattern of the genes codifying for the two key enzymes sucrose:sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1‐SST) and fructan 1‐fructosyltransferase (1‐FFT), involved in fructans biosynthesis, have been also evaluated both in capitula (heads) and rhizomes. The results showed that the inulin-type fructans were much higher in the heads of the wild cardoon than artichoke, one together with a higher expression of the two key genes fructans codifying enzymes. A conspicuous level of inulin-type fructans was found also in the rhizome, supporting the significant role of these compounds in the storage and in protection from cold and/or winter stress. The results indicate that wild cardoon could be a good and suitable crop for inulin production as well a sustainable agri-food system in Mediterranean marginal areas.

Cynara cardunculus L. is a herbaceous perennial Mediterranean plant including the wild cardoon taxon C. cardunculus var. sylvestris L. Fiori, recognized as the ancestor of both taxa Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus Hegi (artichoke) and C. cardunculus var. altilis DC. (cultivated cardoon) (Sonnante et al. 2007, Gatto et al. 2013.In Mediterranean regions, artichoke represents an important component of a traditional Mediterranean diet (Rondanelli et al. 2013) and its edible parts (heads or capitula) are a good source of a many valuable compounds such as pectin, phenolic acid, flavonoids, and inulin (Dias et al. 2018, Gostin and Waisundara 2019, Zeaiter et al. 2019, Shallan et al. 2020. Also, the wild cardoon, growing naturally under harsh conditions and well-adapted to many marginal areas, could have a good potential utilisation for sustainable production in stressed lands and in maintaining the agrobiodiversity. The wild species are extremely rich resources of useful genes not available in the cultivated gene pool. Moreover, the wild cardoon is extremely rich in highly bioavailable polyphenols and high-quality fibres and minerals (Ceccarelli et al. 2010,