Recovery, Characterisation and Cultivation of Old Maize landraces
Main goal of the project is the exploitation of old maize landraces from the Emilia Romagna region. These landraces are no longer cultivated on wide surfaces but they can represent an interesting source of genetic variability to improve existent varieties for both quality traits and environmental adaptability. More specific aims (recovery, characterization, release of the developed knowledge) will be very helpful for small farmers. Interested farmers, by cultivating these old landraces, will have the possibility to develop new food chain and, at the same time, to preserve local historical and cultural heritage and to safeguard agricultural biodiversity that is in danger of extinction.
The project involves the following work packages:
• Coordination: The operative group will operate by constituting an executive committee and a technical group to monitor the progress and to ensure the cooperation between partners.
• Specific work packages to finalize the project will be: 1) Recovery and conservation of maize landraces; 2) Experimental fields of first level to compare the accessions and preparation of descriptive sheets; 3) Genetic characterization; 4) Metabolomics characterization; 5) Experimental fields of second level to further compare the landraces; 6) technological trials for flour and hardtack production.
• Dissemination.
• Coaching.
WORK PACKAGE 1 – Survey, recovery and conservation of old maize landraces
This first WP will result in the recovery of the biodiversity of Emilia Romagna old maize landraces. The survey will be carried out mainly at old farmers in the mountain areas of the regions who still cultivate old landraces on small land surface for private use. Along with the varieties, during the survey activity, also local histories, traditions and memories of the old farmers will be recovered.
Main expected results are: the recovery of maize landraces; the sampling and the ex situ conservation of seeds; the publication of reports including the historical memories and the local traditions; the availability of seeds for maize breeders.
Main benefits are: the safeguard of biodiversity in danger of genetic erosion and extinction; the conservation of seed bulks in germplasm banks; the registration, dissemination and valorization of historical memories of local communities; the availability of genetic material with interesting properties, in term of adaptability to specific environmental conditions, for breeders working with this species.
Work Package 2 – Experimental fields for landraces evaluation, morphological characterization and preparation of data sheets for each single variety
The WP will be characterized by the setting of an experimental field to compare and evaluate the main characteristics of the old maize landraces under standard agricultural management. The field will be set in an experimental farm near the Università Cattolica.
The main expected results are: the availability of amount of seeds enough to the setup of the experimental fields at the farms partner of the project; The determination of the UPOV parameters for the phenological description of the landraces; The determination, by in fields survey, of the resistance of the landraces to pathogen fungi of genus Aspergillus and Fusarium; the filling of descriptive sheets that will be sent to the Emilia Romagna region.
The main benefits are: the multiplication of seeds that will be distributed to the farmers partner of the project; the availability of descriptive sheets reporting the main characteristics of the landraces (as the life cycle, productivity and so on); the availability of varieties carrying resistance toward mycotoxigenic fungi and so characterized by a smaller mycotoxins kernel contamination.
Work Package 3 – Genetic characterisation of the old maize landraces
The genetic variability of each landrace will be analysed. The analysis will be carried out on 100 individual samples for each landrace by using microsatellite molecular markers. The main expected results are: the characterization of the genetic profile of landrace single plants and first evidences on the genetic variability present within each landrace; the visualization of the kinship between the different landraces; the visualization of the genetic distance between the landraces and some of the modern hybrids currently cultivated in the regional fields.
The main benefits are: an increased knowledge about the relationships between the old landraces and between landraces and modern hybrids; the characterization of the genetic variability inside each landrace; the dissemination of the results through the publication of popular and scientific manuscripts on national and international journals.
Work Package 4 – Metabolomic characterisation of the old maize landraces
In the frame of the WP, a detailed metabolomics characterization of four selected landraces will be carried out. The metabolome is the full set of the plant primary and secondary metabolites that produced during the development or in response to determined environmental conditions and stress. Secondary metabolites of interest can have nutraceutical and/or allelopathic properties, the last ones very interesting for a sustainable fight of weeds.
The main expected results are: the definition of the metabolic profile of four selected landraces, mainly concerning phenolics, carotenoids and allelophatic metabolitws; the determination of the total content in antioxidant metabolites; the definition of the metabolome changes following the different environmental conditions; the identification of metabolites characteristics of the single landraces.
The main benefits are: the determination of the levels of nutraceutical, polyphenols and carotenoids, and allelophatic, alkaloids and isoprenoids, metabolites; the availability of the total content in antioxidant metabolites of the landraces, the dissemination of the results through the publication of popular and scientific manuscripts.
Work package 5 – Setup of second level experimental fields for landraces evaluation.
In the WP the cultivation of old landraces will be carried out in the farm fields. 500 square meters plots will be cultivated, under standard management conditions, in view of a possible spread of the landraces on the regional fields. For each landrace will be carried out an in situ conservation, through on farm cultivation, to preserve the landraces in the proper sites of evolution.
The main results are: the availability of enough seeds for the field trials of the last year of the project and for the technological tests; the collection and elaboration of data concerning the morphological, productive and resistance to pathogens characterization of the selected landraces. These data will be markers of the landrace adaptability to specific environmental conditions and of the resistance against pathogen fungi.
The main benefits are: preliminary information about the performance of the landraces under modern cultivation management; the availability of increasing amount of seeds; the implementation of the descriptive sheets; the implementation of the resistance data against pathogen fungi; the conservation of the landraces in their sites of evolution through an in situ, on farm, conservation.
Work Package 6 – Commercial, technological and sanitary analysis of the landraces The WP will be mainly focused on the processing companies partner of the project. The main commercial, technological and sanitary properties of the recovered and distributed landraces will be evaluated.
The main expected results are: the definition of the main commercial properties of the old maize landraces; the definition of the main technological properties mainly concerning the antioxidant activity, the milling yield in flour and grits, the definition of the mycotoxins content of the kernels, implementing the knowledge about the resistance of the landraces to the pathogen fungi; the processing and production of polenta and hardtacks, the organoleptic assessment through panel tests.
The main benefits are: information about the organoleptic quality of the landraces; preliminary information on a possible industrial use of the landraces for the production of foods for human (polenta, hardtacks, eventually corn flakes); the determination of the mycotoxins content.
Work package 7 – Seed multiplication of the landraces.
In the WP, also based on the results of the previous WPs, it will be evaluated the possibility to register the landrace, as “conservation varieties” in the national catalogue of agricultural varieties. In parallel, the multiplication in purity of the seeds will start to increase the amount of available seeds.
The main expected results are: the availability of increasing amount of seeds, in purity, of the selected varieties; the finding of farmers that will be involved in the in situ conservation of the recovered varieties after the end of the project.
The main benefits are: the possible registration of the landraces to the national catalogue, making possible, in this way, their commercialization; the availability of high amount of pure seeds for farmers that will be interested in preserving this biodiversity in private fields by on farm conservation.
Work Package Dissemination
The dissemination will be devoted both to farmers partner of the project, through specific coaching events and meeting, and to external users.
The main goal is to provide all the elements requested to better understand the value of the innovations generated by the project.
The communication activities include:
At least 3 technical papers on the project results,
Guided tours at the experimental fields;
Technical meeting to bring the innovation generated by the project as close as possible to the farmers;
A final meeting at the end of the project;
The implementation of the CRPV website with the innovation generated to make them as accessible as possible to interested people;
The preparation of an app and of audiovisual material;
The integration of the results to the EIP-AGRI net
The transfer of the innovation generated with the project to the final users, in this case the farmers partner of the project, will be achieved by organizing individual coaching events.
The events will be focused on the main aspect concerning the cultivation and in purity conservation of the old landraces and on the problems associated to high contamination with mycotoxins
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Opuscolo di presentazione del Progetto
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Caratterizzazione genetica di sette varietà tradizionali di mais dell'ER - FIDAF 20-01-21
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Valorizzazione di varietà tradizionali di mais dell’Emilia Romagna - Agrinotizie.com 17-02-2021
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Video - Visite ai campi di confronto varietale dei mais tradizionali della UCSC e di conservazione in situ PC, RE, FC, RN luglio 2020
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GOI RI.COL.M.A. - Ricupero, caratterizzazione, coltivazione del Mais antico
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Visita campi confronto varietale e conservazione in situ nella fase di maturazione mais tradizionali dell'Emilia-Romagna - epoca settembre ottobre
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