ISHS Acta Horticulturae 681: IV International Congress on Artichoke
WILD GENETIC RESOURCES OF CULTIVATED ARTICHOKE |
| Authors: | A. Rottenberg, D. Zohary |
| Keywords: | The genus Cynara L. - taxonomy; - genetic affinities between species |
| Abstract:
The genus Cynara L. comprises the following seven species: the crop complex C. cardunculus L. which includes wild forms as well as the globe artichoke and cardoon cultivars, C. syriaca Boiss., C. cornigera Lindley, C. cyrenaica Maire & Weiler, C. algarbiensis Cosson, C. baetica (Spreng.) Pau, and C. humilis L. All are native to the Mediterranean basin. The closest wild relatives of the domestic vegetables are the ‘wild cardoon’ forms of C. cardunculus that are fully inter-fertile with the cultivated varieties; and are now ranked conspecific with the crop, and identified as the wild stock from which the domestic varieties could have been derived. These wild forms comprise the primary wild gene pool (GP1) of the cultivated artichoke. The other six wild Cynara species are more distant. A crossing programme involving five of them (C. cyrenaica was not tested) showed that they are largely cross-incompatible with C. cardunculus complex, and the rare inter-specific F1 hybrids recovered were mostly semi-sterile. Moreover, these wild Cynara species have also diverged from C. cardunculus isozymically. They are, therefore, regarded as comprising the secondary wild gene pool (GP2) of the artichoke crop. This paper surveys the taxonomy and geographical distribution of the various wild Cynara taxa; and summarizes the available information on the genetic affinities between the crop and its wild relatives. | |
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