Impiego di metodi ampelografici e molecolari su alcuni biotipi del vitigno “Nerello mascalese”

‘Nerello mascalese’, the grapevine cultivar autochtonous from eastern Sicily, constitutes the base of the Etna’s red and rosy DOC wine production. This kind of grape has such a variable character that it can be considered polyclonal. For this reason, to support some clonal experiments, there have been verified some methods of morphological and molecular analysis. These methods have been applied on nine phenotypes, one of which belongs to the known clone (NF8 ), already put into the National Varieties Register. For the morphological and biometrical analysis, it has been adopted a list of the descriptors from the O.I.V. card, for a group of 67 parameters. Afterwards there have been adopted 9 allometric descriptors deducted from the literature. The DNA analysis has been carried into effect with the use of the AFLP markers. The morphological analysis has shown significant differences concerning the shape of the tip, the degree of petiole sinus opening and the length of the N1 and N2 veins. It has been noted a certain variability in the grade of compactness of the bunch. The ALFP analysis has afforded possibilities to obtain 255 polymorphisms which made it possible to distinguish the 9 phenotypes. The relative dendrograms have confirmed the results of the morphological analysis, sorting the samples according to their geographical provenience.