Intra-varietal analysis of Olea europaea L. cultivars using morphological, biochemical and molecular markers

Classification of olive germoplasm results very complex due to the cv genetic variability, to the lack of reference standards and genome characterisation, and, moreover, in the confusion of names attributed to the cultivars resulting in numerous synonyms and homonyms. An example is represented by the cv Moraiolo with about 90 synonymies and often with marked agro-morphological differences; on the contrary, other cultivars, as Leccino, seem to be more conserved, since the cv-populations show little morphological differences. The present work was carried out with the aim to identify the genetic similarity among 25 accessions of the Leccino cultivar collected in their origin zone (Pistoia province) and in the adjacent ones (Florence, Pisa, Leghorn and Grosseto). Biometric indexes of tree, leaf, fruit and stone were compared with the electrophoretic data obtained using RAPDs and total proteins extracted from seed teguments. Morphological and biochemicalmolecular data showed similar relationships into the cultivar.