An updated checklist of plant agrobiodiversity of northern Italy

Abstract

Northern Italy is an area particularly suitable for the cultivation of different crops. It used to be characterized by a high agrobiodiversity. However, it is estimated that over the last decades, this area experienced a genetic erosion of more than 90%, resulting in the loss of many traditional plant genetic resources (PGR). Nevertheless, recent surveys found an unexpectedly high agrobiodiversity which remains. The presented study aims to provide a complete overview of plant agrobiodiversity (in terms of crop landraces, old cultivars and neglected crops) in northern Italy using a mixed approach of literature research and ethnobotanical field surveys. In addition, this paper aims to investigate on farm and ex situ conservation activities performed in the study area. 810 entities were found, of which 26 were identified as neglected crops, 377 as landraces (plus 124 doubtful landraces) and 99 as old cultivars (plus 184 doubtful old cultivars). 248 entities were here recorded for the first time through field surveys. It clearly emerges that by using an ethnobotanical approach, several PGR can still be found in the study area especially in small farms and home gardens. We describe hotspots of crop diversity and areas in which there is still a lack of knowledge of local agrobiodiversity. Only 43% of the PGR recorded are conserved long-term in seed banks, underlying the fact that great efforts are needed to ensure the ex situ conservation of PGR in northern Italy. Careful interventions are needed to enhance the on-farm conservation status of the crop diversity reported here by enhancing its demand and its accessibility.

Agro-Food Supply Chains in Peri-Urban Agricultural Areas: Do They Contribute to Preserve Local Biodiversity? The Case of Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park

“…Farmers' markets are the food retail stores where there is greater intraspecific diversity, especially of Solanaceae and Fabaceae. These data resemble findings from other studies in the Mediterranean region [46,53] and other areas [25,54]. The ratio between variants and species peaks within farmers' markets (Table 1).…”

Characterization and Valorization of Maize Landraces from Aosta Valley

“…Therefore, this region can represent an interesting basin in which to investigate the presence of relict landraces and local populations of agricultural crops which are still in situ/ on farm or to characterize what is preserved ex situ in collection as the one held at the Institut Agricole Régional (IAR) in Aosta (Italy). In the framework of biodiversity conservation, the importance of mountain areas has been addressed by several authors [ 16 , 17 ]. Mountains are essential areas to counteract the general loss of agrobiodiversity, which in turn represents a valuable opportunity to create small agri-food chains thus enhancing the resilience and economy of marginal areas [ 4 ].…”

Understanding old herbal secrets: The renaissance of traditional medicinal plants beyond the twenty classic species?

“…Conservation with local people (Petelka et al, 2022) seems more sustainable and successful in the longer term than, for example, working with highly engineered ex-situ seed banks, some of which are located in completely different countries or even continents (e.g., Millennium Seed Bank or Valbard Global Seed Vault). It is crucial to avoid the loss of the priceless agronomical, biological and cultural diversity connected to these genetic resources as demonstrated for old crop varieties from Northern Italy including Trentino-Alto Adige (Canella et al, 2022). Local communities are crucial in stopping the erosion of traditional knowledge and practices of sustainable resource management (Berkes et al, 2000;Volenzo and Odiyo, 2020), beyond the preservation of seeds in distant bunkers.…”