Recupero di germoplasma cerasicolo etneo e primi risultati della caratterizzazione genetica

The rich cherry germplasm escaped to the genetic erosion and not included in the recent Catalogo of Germoplasma Frutticolo in Italy, has been considered inside Progetto Frutticoltura Etnea, found, located and characterized by means of main pomological parameters, assessed also on some recently introduced varieties. Of beyond 20 accessions characterized in the oriental side of Etna, of which 2 never before described, including wide spread cultivars (‘Ciliegia di don Antoni’) until those present with few trees (‘Gabbaladri’), have been chosen 9 on which, together with 4 others introduced, have been characterized by means of molecular analysis with RAPD technique. Such preliminary research allowed to obtain a set of markers that allowed to identify the accessions analyzed, to distinguish the native cultivars from the introduced ones and to find some indications on the genealogy of ‘Ciliegia di don Antoni’ , obtained beyond one century ago as a seedling and that became, in the last thirty years, the most diffused cultivar in Et--na district.