Four-Year Study on the Bio-Agronomic Response of Biotypes of Capparis spinosa L. on the Island of Linosa (Italy)

Salvatore La Bella, Francesco Rossini, Mario Licata, Giuseppe Virga, Roberto Ruggeri, Nicolò Iacuzzi, Claudio Leto and Teresa Tuttolomondo
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Salvatore La Bella: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Francesco Rossini: Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Mario Licata: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Giuseppe Virga: Research Consortium for the Development of Innovative Agro-Environmental Systems (Corissia), Via della Libertà 203, 90143 Palermo, Italy
Roberto Ruggeri: Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, Università degli Studi della Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Nicolò Iacuzzi: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Claudio Leto: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Teresa Tuttolomondo: Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze 13, Building 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: The caper plant is widespread in Sicily (Italy) both wild in natural habitats and as specialized crops, showing considerable morphological variation. However, although contributing to a thriving market, innovation in caper cropping is low. The aim of the study was to evaluate agronomic and production behavior of some biotypes of Capparis spinosa L. subsp. rupestris , identified on the Island of Linosa (Italy) for growing purposes. Two years and seven biotypes of the species were tested in a randomized complete block design. The main morphological and production parameters were determined. Phenological stages were also observed. Analysis of variance showed high variability between the biotypes. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis highlighted a clear distinction between biotypes based on biometric and production characteristics. Production data collected in the two-year period 2007–2008 showed the greatest production levels in the third year following planting in 2005. In particular, biotype SCP1 had the highest average value (975.47 g) of flower bud consistency. Our results permitted the identification of biotypes of interest for the introduction into new caper fields. Further research is needed in order to characterize caper biotypes in terms of the chemical composition of the flower buds and fruits.

Keywords: caper plant; island of Linosa; morphological and productive characteristics; growing (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: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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