Differentiation and structure of an Italian landrace of celery (Apium graveolens L.): inferences for on farm conservation

The “Sedano Nero di Trevi” (Black Celery from Trevi) is a landrace grown in Umbria (Italy) at risk of extinction. A morpho-physiological and molecular characterisation of the landrace and a detailed investigation of its cultural and cultivation context were carried out with the aim of facilitating a request for a quality mark, implement in situ (on farm) conservation schemes that are being developed in Italy and register the landrace in the European common catalogue of ‘conservation varieties’. These actions can help the landrace survive. Six farmer populations of the landrace and four elite varieties were characterised for thirteen morpho-physiological traits and nine AFLP primer combinations. The “Sedano Nero” farmer populations were better performers than elite varieties for important agronomic traits, such as yield, under the local agronomic conditions. Both morpho-physiological traits and molecular markers clearly distinguished the landrace from the elite cultivars. In addition, a structure was detected in the landrace with farmer populations being characterised by specific alleles. These results are discussed in connection with the local seed system and possible in situ conservation strategies for landraces.