The olive tree is one of the most important economic, cultural, and environmental resources for Italy, in particular for the Apulian region, where it shows a wide diversity. The increasing attention to the continuous loss of plant genetic diversity due to social, economic and climatic changes, has favored a renewed interest in strategies aimed at the recovery and conservation of these genetic resources. In the frame of a project for the valorization of the olive Apulian biodiversity (Re.Ger.O.P. project), 177 minor genotypes were recovered in different territories of the region. They were submitted to morphological, molecular, technological and phytosanitary status analysis in comparison with reference cultivars, then they were propagated and transferred in an ex situ field. All the available information was stored in an internal regional database including photographic documentation and geographic position. The work allowed obtaining information about the genetic diversity of Apulian germplasm, to clarify cases of homonymy and synonymy, to check the sanitary status, and to identify candidate genotypes useful both to set up breeding programs and to enrich the panel of olive cultivars available to farmers for commercial exploitation.

The employment of multi-species starter cultures has growing importance in modern winemaking for improving the complexity and wine attributes. The assessment of compatibility for selected species/strains at the industrial-scale is crucial to assure the quality and the safety associated with fermentations. An aspect particularly relevant when the species belong to non-Saccharomyces, Saccharomyces spp. and malolactic bacteria, three categories with different biological characteristics and oenological significance. To the best of our knowledge, the present report is the first study regarding the utilization of a combined starter culture composed of three strains of non-Saccharomyces, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum for production of wine at the industrial scale. More in-depth, this work investigated the oenological potential of the autochthonous characterized strains from the Apulian region (Southern Italy), Candida zemplinina (syn. Starmerella bacillaris) 35NC1, S. cerevisiae (NP103), and L. plantarum (LP44), in co-inoculation following a complete scale-up scheme. Microbial dynamics, fermentative profiles and production of volatile secondary compounds were assessed in lab-scale micro-vinification tests and then the performances of the mixed starter formulation were further evaluated by pilot-scale wine production. The above results were finally validated by performing an industrial-scale vinification on 100HL of Negroamaro cultivar grape must. The multi-starter formulation was able to rule the different stages of the fermentation processes effectively, and the different microbial combinations enhanced the organoleptic wine features to different extents. The findings indicated that the simultaneous inoculation of the three species affect the quality and quantity of several volatile compounds, confirming that the complexity of the wine can reflect the complexity of the starter cultures. Moreover, the results underlined that the same mixed culture could differently influence wine quality when tested at the lab-, pilot- and industrial-scale. Finally, we highlighted the significance of employment non-Saccharomyces and L. plantarum, together with S. cerevisiae, autochthonous strains in the design of custom-made starter culture formulation for typical regional wine production with pronounced unique quality.

The investigation on the genetic diversity of grapevine germplasm is crucial for a more efficient use of grapevine genetic resources in light of changing environmental conditions. Here, we used simple sequence repeats (SSRs) coupled with single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to disclose grapevine genetic diversity of a collection of Apulian minor/neglected genotypes. Their relationships with national or international cultivars were also examined. Genetic diversity was investigated using 10 SSR markers and 1,178 SNPs generated by genotyping by sequencing (GBS). Based on the SSR data, the 128 genotypes were classified into six main genetic clusters. Twenty-four putative cases of synonymy and 2 of misnamings were detected. Ten “unknown” autochthonous genotypes did not show high similarity to Apulian, national, or international varieties. We took advantage of available GBS-derived SNP data points for only forty genotypes to better investigate the genetic distance among them, identify private SNP alleles, and divergent loci putatively under selection. Based on SNP alleles, two interesting gene pools of minor/neglected Apulian samples were identified. Genetic divergence was investigated by FST and allowed the detection of loci capable of differentiating the gene pools. Overall, this work emphasizes the need for recovering the untapped genetic variability that characterizes minor/neglected grapevine Apulian genotypes and the requirement to preserve and use more efficiently grapevine genetic resources in breeding programs.

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