Traditional Foods as a Way to Preserve the Genetic Diversity of the Grapevine (Vitis spp.) in Tunisia

Tunisia has a long tradition of viticulture, and the grapevine is used for a variety of traditional foods. The country has traditional plant-based dishes, which may have different compositions and names depending on the region of origin. Unfortunately, over the years, traditional preparations are no longer as popular as they used to be, due to both changing lifestyles and the introduction of new crops and foods. For example, the use of grapevine in traditional dishes has declined as traditions have been lost and habits have changed in favor of new, ready-to-eat foods. The close link between grapevine, culture and territory requires an appropriate evaluation and characterization of traditional foods in order to enhance and extend their use, ensure their sustainability and preserve the varieties used to produce them. This review analyzes the use of local grapevine varieties in different traditional dishes as a means to preserve an invaluable natural and cultural resource and heritage

Morphological and molecular characterization of minor olive (Olea europaea. L) cultivars in Tunisia

11 Pags.- 2 Figs.- 3 Tabls.[EN] Management of ex situ olive collection is crucial for suitable genetic resources conservation. This study aims to complement characterization of olive accessions belonging to the National olive germplasm collection located in the south of Tunisia. The morphological characterization of endocarp of 22 Tunisian cultivars was made. Multiple component analysis (MCA) showed 5 different groups of cultivars and one case of synonymy. A set of six Simple Sequence Repeat markers (SSR) were used to fingerprinting the cultivars studied. The total number of alleles was 44 with a mean of 7.33 alleles/locus. The polymorphism information content (PIC) varied from 0.45 for DCA 03 to 0.85 for DCA 16 with a mean of 0.7. The Principal Component Analysis (PCoA) was used to cluster cultivars. We assume the power of the microsatellite markers and the phenotypic richness of our local germplasm in Tunisia.[FR] La gestion de la collection d'oliviers ex situ est cruciale pour une bonne conservation des ressources génétiques. Cette étude vise à compléter la caractérisation des accessions d'oliviers appartenant à la Collection nationale de ressources génétiques oléicoles située dans le sud de la Tunisie. La caractérisation morphologique de l'endocarpe de 22 cultivars tunisiens a été faite. L'analyse en composantes multiples (AMC) a montré 5 groupes différents de cultivars et un cas de synonymie. Un ensemble de six marqueurs de répétition de séquence simple (SSR) a été utilisé pour identifier les cultivars étudiés. Le nombre total d'allèles était de 44 avec une moyenne de 7,33 allèles/locus. Le contenu en informations sur le polymorphisme (PIC) variait de 0,45 pour le DCA 03 à 0,85 pour le DCA 16 avec une moyenne de 0,7. L'analyse en composantes principales (PCoA) a été utilisée pour regrouper les cultivars. Nous supposons la puissance des marqueurs microsatellites et la richesse phénotypique de notre matériel génétique local en Tunisie.Peer reviewe

Recovery, Assessment, and Molecular Characterization of Minor Olive Genotypes in Tunisia

Olive is one of the oldest cultivated species in the Mediterranean Basin, including Tunisia, where it has a wide diversity, with more than 200 cultivars, of both wild and feral forms. Many minor cultivars are still present in marginal areas of Tunisia, where they are maintained by farmers in small local groves, but they are poorly characterized and evaluated. In order to recover this neglected germplasm, surveys were conducted in different areas, and 31 genotypes were collected, molecularly characterized with 12 nuclear microsatellite (simple sequence repeat (SSR)) markers, and compared with 26 reference cultivars present in the Tunisian National Olive collection. The analysis revealed an overall high genetic diversity of this olive’s germplasm, but also discovered the presence of synonymies and homonymies among the commercialized varieties. The structure analysis showed the presence of different gene pools in the analyzed germplasm. In particular, the marginal germplasm from Ras Jbal and Azmour is characterized by gene pools not present in commercial (Nurseries) varieties, pointing out the very narrow genetic base of the commercialized olive material in Tunisia, and the need to broaden it to avoid the risk of genetic erosion of this species in this country