Molecular Characterization and Evaluation of Carob Germplasm

This paper reports some of the activities that are in progress on carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) since a few years at the Catania University, Italy. This minor fruit tree is well adapted to the Mediterranean climate especially in marginal dry areas; in the past carob has been considered a neglected and underutilized species, but it has been recently revalued, since the flour extracted from the seed (locust bean gum) is used in the food industry. Research started as an integrated activity aimed at: A) germplasm introduction from abroad and cultivar trials; B) characterization of local germplasm for seed content; C) evaluation of genetic diversity through molecular markers; D) use of molecular techniques for identifying genes and useful traits such as those involved in sex determination. We describe the main goals that have been achieved so far concerning: selection of new varieties for high seed/pulp ratio; molecular characterization through AFLP markers of Italian and foreign germplasm; construction of a cDNA library for gene identification and markers development.