Radicchio (Cichorium intybus subsp. intybus var. foliosum L.) is one of the most important leaf chicories, used mainly as a component for fresh salads. Recently, we sequenced and annotated the first draft of the leaf chicory genome, as we believe it will have an extraordinary impact from both scientific and economic points of view. Indeed, the availability of the first genome sequence for this plant species will provide a powerful tool to be exploited in the identification of markers associated with or genes responsible for relevant agronomic traits, influencing crop productivity and product quality. The plant material used for the sequencing of the leaf chicory genome belongs to the Radicchio of the Chioggia type. Genomic DNA was used for library preparation with the TruSeq DNA Sample Preparation chemistry (Illumina). Sequencing reactions were performed with the Illumina platforms HiSeq and MySeq, and sequence reads were then assembled and annotated. We are confident that our efforts will extend the current knowledge of the genome organization and gene composition of leaf chicory, which is crucial for developing new tools and diagnostic markers useful for our breeding strategies in Radicchio.
Part of the book: Plant Genomics
A total of 90 original articles concerning the varietal characterization and identification by means of SSR analysis of the five most economically relevant crops in Italy (i.e., Olea europaea L., Solanum lycopersicum L., Vitis vinifera L., Triticum spp. and Malus × domestica Borkh.) have been selected and reviewed. Since the genetic traceability of processed products may result more complex, wine and olive oil have been considered too. Specifically, this chapter deals with three main aspects: (i) the criteria adopted for the selection of the most appropriate number, type, and distribution of SSR marker loci to be employed for varietal genotyping, (ii) the use of genetic statistics and parameters for the evaluation of the discriminant ability and applicability of SSR marker loci, and (iii) how to make different experimental works on the same species that are standardized, reliable, and comparable. What emerges from the studies reviewed here is a lack of wider consensus among the authors regarding the strategy to design and to adopt for genotyping plant varieties with SSR markers. This finding highlights the urgent need to establish a common procedure, especially for characterizing and preserving landraces, and for supporting its rediscovery and valorization locally.
Part of the book: Rediscovery of Landraces as a Resource for the Future