Search results for "Conservation"
showing 10 items of 2328 documents
Preliminary identification of self-incompatibility genotypes of Sicilian almond landraces
2018
Sicily is the main almond producer in Italy. The almond tree is one of the main protagonists of the Sicilian agrarian landscape, especially in the winter, when the bare branches are covered by white or pinkish flowers. Its presence is particularly significant in the province of Agrigento, in Syracuse and in Ragusa areas, where the almond nut is used for fresh consumption and for the preparation of typical sweets. The extremely rich Sicilian almond germplasm can be useful for genetic improvement, since many local landraces possess aromatic characteristics of the nuts of high value. Self-incompatibility in this species is gametophytic and controlled by a multi-allelic S locus, coding for the …
Seed germination and reproductive features of Lysimachia minoricensis (Primulaceae), a wild-extinct plant.
2002
Lysimachia minoricensis is one of the few Mediterranean endemic plants (Minorca, Balearic islands) that has gone extinct in the wild but which persists as extant germplasm or cultivated plants in several botanical gardens. Reproductive features (seed set, number of seeds per capsule, seed weight) and germination responses to constant temperatures, sea water and dry-heat pre-treatments were investigated to determine the extent to which they may have influenced the extinction of the species. Seed set in Lysimachia is not dependent on pollinators, suggesting a functional selfer breeding system. Most plants produced a large mean number of fruits (23.2) and seeds (466), and the mean production o…
Seed cryopreservation of Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl
2016
Fraxinus angustifolia is used for afforestation and for production of both valuable timber and manna , a substance with pharmacological applications. The aim of this research was to establish the optimized condition for cryopreservation of F. angustifolia seeds, in order to protect the germplasm of this species. Germination percentage and mean time of germination of non-treated seeds (control) and liquid nitrogen-treated seeds were established in water or in 10 -6 M gibberellic acid (GA 3 ). The seeds could be cryopreserved with 3% of moisture content (MC) and germinated easily in water (70.0 ± 5.0%), while seeds cryopreserved with 6% MC showed a physiological dormancy. This state could be …
Genetic diversity of early ripening breba accessions (Ficus caricaL.) found in the “Pomona” Apulian collection
2017
In order to study fig (Ficus carica L.) biodiversity in Southern Italy, a study was performed in a private Apulian collection, "I Giardini di Pomona", in which 350 different native and international cultivars were recovered in the last 15 years. This collection is located in middle part of Apulia region inside an area of great charm called "Valle D'Itria". In the region, fig is an important edible fruit tree species and it has been used for fresh fruit production, for centuries. Moreover, fig is considered as an important element of natural landscape and as significant cultural heritage. In this study, the Apulian breba cultivars, characterized by interesting agronomic traits, such as early…
Molecular and morphological diversity of on-farm hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) landraces from southern Europe and their role in the origin and diffu…
2013
Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a traditional nut crop in southern Europe. Germplasm exploration conducted on-farm in five countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, and Greece) identified 77 landraces. The present work describes phenotypic variation in nut and husk traits and investigates genetic relationships using ten simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers among these landraces, 57 well-known references cultivars, and 19 wild accessions. Among the 77 landraces, 42 had unique fingerprints while 35 showed a SSR profile identical to a known cultivar. Among the 42 unique landraces, morphological observations revealed high phenotypic diversity, and some had characteristics appreciated by th…
Centennial olive trees as a reservoir of genetic diversity
2011
†Background and Aims Genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the oldest trees could be a powerful tool both for germplasm collection and for understanding the earliest origins of clonally propagated fruit crops. The olive tree (Olea europaea L.) is a suitable model to study the origin of cultivars due to its long lifespan, resulting in the existence of both centennial and millennial trees across the Mediterranean Basin. †Methods The genetic identity and diversity as well as the phylogenetic relationships among the oldest wild and cultivated olives of southern Spain were evaluated by analysing simple sequence repeat markers. Samples from both the canopy and the roots of each tr…
Assessment of genetic variation in SicilianHelichrysum(Asteraceae) and implication to germplasm conservation
2008
Some taxa of Sicilian Helichrysum related to sect. Stoeachadina have an uncertain systematic position; moreover, they are rare and endangered. In order to preserve these taxa in a genebank, a strategy to keep their genetic variation as high as possible is required. The high informative content of AFLP markers was used to assess genetic variations within and between populations and their relationships. The results show that all populations are genetically similar, even though there are two distinct groups: the first is the population referred to H. pendulum, and the second is represented by other populations belonging to several different specific and intraspecific taxa. The H. pendulum popu…
Social Tourism and Healthy Ageing
2015
Recent research in social tourism notes possible links between tourism participation and improvements in health. However, there is a lack of quantitative evidence concerning the potential links between tourism participation and self-reported health amongst older people. An ageing society requires measures to promote independent living and enhance older people's quality of life. This paper provides evidence that older tourists are more active and healthy than non-tourists, from a study comparing health perceptions amongst Spanish older people. The results provide tentative conclusions of causal relationships between tourism and dimensions of physical and mental health through a Structural Eq…
Healthy and sustainable diet and physical activity: the rationale for and experiences from developing a combined summary score
2018
Aims: First, to describe the rationale for developing a combined summary score, the Healthy and Sustainable Dietary and Physical Activity habits (HSDPA) score, incorporating four selected dietary and physical activity aspects: (a) the New Nordic Diet, (b) local and sustainable foods, (c) active transportation and (d) non-exercise outdoor activities. Secondly, to describe the experiences from constructing the HSDPA score. Methods: Relevant literature covering the four aspects of interest was reviewed to secure a well-grounded rationale and a theory-based approach. To measure compliance with such a broad approach targeting diet, physical activity, health and environmental sustainability, the…
The commercial activity of tourism companies. Perception of tourism students
2019
El presente trabajo pretende analizar la opinión que los estudiantes universitarios de Turismo tienen respecto a desarrollar su futuro laboral en el área comercial de empresas turísticas, la que más oferta de puestos de trabajo genera en España. En concreto, se pretende conocer cuál es su percepción sobre este tipo de trabajo, tanto desde un punto de vista personal como profesional. Para alcanzar estos objetivos, se ha encuestado a 348 estudiantes de diferentes cursos, de grado y posgrado, que han sido clasificados en función de su interés por trabajar como vendedores en el sector turístico. Los resultados muestran que, en general, la valoración de una futura actividad de tipo comercial es …