Exploring the Genetic and Morphological Variation and Disease Resistance in Local and Foreign Prunus persica (L.) Batsch Cultivars

Pavlina Drogoudi (), Georgios Pantelidis, Lefkothea Karapetsi, Konstantina Ziakou, Konstantinos Kazantzis, Panagiotis Madesis and Thomas Thomidis
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Pavlina Drogoudi: Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO)—‘DIMITRA’, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Department of Deciduous Fruit Trees, 59200 Naoussa, Greece
Georgios Pantelidis: Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO)—‘DIMITRA’, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Department of Deciduous Fruit Trees, 59200 Naoussa, Greece
Lefkothea Karapetsi: Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi Road, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Konstantina Ziakou: Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO)—‘DIMITRA’, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Department of Deciduous Fruit Trees, 59200 Naoussa, Greece
Konstantinos Kazantzis: Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO)—‘DIMITRA’, Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Department of Deciduous Fruit Trees, 59200 Naoussa, Greece
Panagiotis Madesis: Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), 6th Km Charilaou-Thermi Road, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Thomas Thomidis: International Hellenic University, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, 57400 Sindos, Greece

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Local germplasm may be the basis for genetic improvement for sustainability and resilience, yet little is known about Greek peach [ Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] local genetic resources. The aims of the present study were to entail a prospection in the mainland and islands of Greece for local traditional and underutilized germplasm and study their genetic and morphological variation and susceptibility to shoot blight from Cylindrocarpon destructans and Monilinia laxa. A total of 32 peach cultivars/accessions were prospected from the mainland (Imathia and Magnesia) and islands (Andros, Ikaria, Kythira, Lesvos and Samos) of Greece. Leaf and fruit morphological characterization was made in situ and ex situ using 42 qualitative and quantitative morphological descriptors. Nine clones of ‘Lemonato’, isolated in Magnesia, with differing ripening times, were found to vary in leaf and fruit phenotypic traits. The local peach genotypes were separated from 12 old foreign cultivars, in 8 out of the 42 leaf and fruit phenotypic traits studied. We observed greater lesion damages from C. destructans than M. laxa . Local cultivars had greater resistance to Cylindrocarpon destructans than foreign cultivars, with ‘Lemonato Andrea’, ‘Daggalakou’ and ‘Papagianni’ exhibiting the greatest resistance. Genetic characterization was performed in the studied local and foreign peach cultivars/accessions, using eight Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSRs), resulting in a total of 404 bands. Analysis of molecular variance and principal coordinates analysis revealed moderate to low genetic diversity among the peach cultivars, and three distinct clusters were formed. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis was implemented for the association study between morphological traits and the ISSR markers, revealing several markers that are statistically and significantly correlated with fruits’ traits. The obtained results could be valuable for breeding programs and future research on peach.

Keywords: Cylindrocarpon destructans; genetic resources; inter simple sequence repeat; leaf and fruit characters; ‘Lemonato’ peach; Monilinia laxa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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