Agriculture in Marginal Areas: Reintroduction of Rye and Wheat Varieties for Breadmaking in the Antrona Valley

Abstract

In marginal lands, cereal landraces continue to be important in agricultural production, whereas hybrids lose their competitive advantage. In this context, selection for adaptation to each environment is particularly important in crops grown under unfavourable conditions, e.g., mountain areas. In this work, from a panel of traditional and modern varieties, mixtures and evolutionary populations, a randomised block experiment was established to select the most productive and suitable wheat and rye varieties specific for the Antrona Valley. The nutritional analysis of each flour was carried out. The results obtained in two years of varietal comparison suggested that rye is more suitable than wheat for growing in this environment: Alpina rye showed the highest yield/m2 and the highest ash content (1.87% ± 0.03%; p < 0.05) compared to other varieties, indicating it as suitable for the baking process. Among wheats, San Pastore showed the highest number of ears/m2 (411 and 350; p < 0.05) compared to others. However, in a context of climate change, the cultivation of Solibam could ensure yield stability, thanks to the high variability within the evolutionary population. Overall, our results demonstrated the possible reintroduction of the cereal supply chain in the Valley and the resumption of the historic rye bread production.

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

“…The risk related to this disease was found to be higher in the hilly environment than in the mountain one, and in particular for rainy spring seasons during the flowering period. On the other hand, the risk of contamination of other mycotoxins, such as DON, was observed to be very low in the considered marginal environments, and similar to what has been reported for other Alpine areas ( Colombo et al., 2022 ). A previous study, carried out in an Alpine valley in Northeast Italy, investigated the differences between modern rye cultivars and South Tyrolean landraces collected from local farmers ( Peratoner et al., 2016 ).…”

“…As far as the bread-making properties are concerned, the inclusion of whole-grain rye in a bread formulation resulted in a higher WA and a lower DS than those of wheat, thus leading to reduced loaf volumes and darker baked products. A previous study investigated the influences of rye inclusion on dough behavior during leavening and on bread-related features ( Colombo et al., 2022 ). The authors observed a positive effect of rye inclusion on dough development, as the dough rose faster and higher when rye was added to wheat.…”

“…The genetic variation and diversity of landraces originating from the northern and eastern parts of Europe, which are characterized by cold winters, as well as the genetic distances and relationships among landraces and between landraces and commonly cultivated improved varieties have already been investigated ( Kühn and Hammer, 1979 ; Persson and von Bothmer, 2002 ; Larsson et al., 2019 ). A few studies ( Peratoner et al., 2016 ; Leoni et al., 2021 ; Colombo et al., 2022 ) have recently agronomically and/or qualitatively characterized and compared modern populations of rye cultivars with landraces collected from farmers in the central Italian Alpine valleys, thereby highlighting the current interest in restoring the cultivation of traditional cereal crops, such as rye, and their supply chains. The reconversion of abandoned farmlands into productive areas through farming can in fact positively affect the access to and relaunching of marginal areas.…”

Characterization of Ancient Cereals Cultivated by Intensive and Organic Procedures for Elements Content

“…The ongoing climate changes, which modify the rainfall and temperature, subject crops to important environmental stress that for some varieties leads to high production losses [8]. This phenomenon is more evident for some hybrid varieties normally used in intensive production, that have a high productivity at the expense of stress tolerance [9]. Therefore, because climate change influences substantially ecological environment, it has become a great challenge to select varieties able to adapt to varying environmental conditions.…”

Multi-Response Optimization of the Malting Process of an Italian Landrace of Rye (Secale cereale L.) Using Response Surface Methodology and Desirability Function Coupled with Genetic Algorithm

“…Such an approach is based on the concept of neolocalism, defined as “a conscious effort by businesses to foster a sense of place based on attributes of their community” [ 3 ]. Research is interested in the reintroduction of traditional rye varieties that enable high yields in marginal and poor soils [ 4 ]. Landraces are autochthonous and genetically related varieties that indeed exhibit stable yields in low-input environments over time [ 5 ].…”