Adaptability and variation in Isatis tinctoria L.: a new crop for Europe

Abstract

Isatis tinctoria L. was cultivated until the 19th century to produce indigo, a natural blue pigment used principally for dyestuffs. The current search for alternative crops and interest in natural products has led to reconsidering I. tinctoria as a crop to be grown in marginal areas to produce natural indigo. To reintroduce I. tinctoria into cultivation, its behaviour under different climatic conditions as well as its morpho-physiological and genetic diversity must be assessed in order to evaluate the possibilities of future breeding work. To do this, a Eurasian collection of 15 accessions was studied in a 2-year experiment. The study was carried out in four locations in order to assess plant performance at altitudes ranging from 380 to 1,700 m a.s.l. A second experiment evaluated the morpho-physiological diversity of several traits (some related to agronomic performances) of the collection. In a third experiment the genetic traits of the collection were characterised by using eight AFLP and eight SAMPL markers. The species showed a wide adaptability to different mountainous conditions and the populations showed high morphologic and genetic variability and differed according to their origins. Both morpho-physiological and molecular characterisation allowed the accessions to be distinguished into groups of European and Asian origin. Future breeding work is recommended because some accessions have good agronomic potential.

Morpho-agronomic characterization and variation of indigo precursors in woad (Isatis tinctoriaL.) accessions

“…A good correlation between the clusters and the geographic origin of the accessions was also observed by Spataro and Negri (2008) for woad accessions from different European and Asian countries.…”

“…High variability for morphological traits was also observed among woad accessions by Spataro and Negri (2008) and between wild and cultivated woad species by Kizil (2006). In other dye species like weld and madder, high diversity in morphological and agronomic traits were also observed (Angelini et al , 1997; Angelini et al , 2003; Gaspar et al , 2009; Baghalian et al , 2010).…”

Geographic population structure in an outcrossing plant invasion after centuries of cultivation and recent founding events

“…This emerging pattern of retention of significant amounts of genetic diversity in the USA could be the result of mixing of genotypes from different population sources as they were moved from Europe to eastern USA and/or to western USA and the facultative outcrossing of this species. The high diversity within the USA also suggests that before introduction to the USA there was not strong selection for a single or a few cultivars that provided the best dye product, as historically recorded (Hurry 1930), and that maybe most individuals of the species could produce useful dye, though research by Spataro and Negri (2008b) suggests that in Europe there are now preferred lineages or varieties used for artisanal dyeing.…”

Genetic diversity in populations of Isatis glauca Aucher ex Boiss. ssp. from Central Anatolia in Turkey, as revealed by AFLP analysis

“…Spataro et al ( 2007 ) displayed genetic variation and population structure in a Eurasian collection of Isatis tinctoria L. by using AFLP and SAMPL molecular markers. Spataro and Negri ( 2008 ) analysed phenotypic and genetic diversity of a Eurasian collection of Isatis tinctoria as well as its adaptability according to a wide range of altitudes. Tu et al ( 2008 ) assessed intertribal somatic hybrids between Brassica rapa and Raphanus sativus with dye and medicinal plant Isatis indigotica .…”