Morphological, Molecular, and Nutritional Characterisation of the Globe Artichoke Landrace “Carciofo Ortano”

The present study focused on the molecular, morphological, and nutritional characterisation of a globe artichoke landrace at risk of genetic erosion still cultivated in the municipality of Orte (Lazio Region, Central Italy) and therefore named &ldquo:Carciofo Ortano&rdquo:. Molecular analysis based on SSR and ISSR markers was carried out on 73 genotypes selected at random from 20 smallholdings located in the Orte countryside and 17 accessions of landraces/clones belonging to the main varietal types cultivated in Italy. The results confirmed that &ldquo:Carciofo Ortano&rdquo: belongs to the &ldquo:Romanesco&rdquo: varietal typology and revealed the presence within the landrace of two distinct genetic populations named Orte 1 and Orte 2. Despite the high level of within-population genetic variation detected, the two populations were genetically differentiated from each other and from the landraces/clones of the main varietal types cultivated in Italy. Morphological and nutritional characterisation was performed on representative genotypes for each of the two populations of the &ldquo:Carciofo Ortano&rdquo: and the four landraces/clones included in the varietal platform of the PGI &ldquo:CARCIOFO ROMANESCO DEL LAZIO&rdquo: used as reference genotypes (&ldquo:Campagnano&rdquo:, &ldquo:Castellammare&rdquo:, &ldquo:C3&rdquo:, and &ldquo:Grato 1&rdquo:). Principal component analysis showed that, of the 43 morphological descriptors considered, 12, including plant height, head shape index, head yield, and earliness, allowed a clear grouping of genotypes, distinguishing Orte 1 and Orte 2 populations from the reference genotypes. Regarding the nutritional composition of heads, particular attention should be devoted to the Orte 2 genotypes for their high dietary fibre, inulin, flavonoid, and phenol content, a feature that could be highly appreciated by the market.