SILVOLIVE, a Germplasm Collection of Wild Subspecies With High Genetic Variability as a Source of Rootstocks and Resistance Genes for Olive Breeding
Author
Díaz-Rueda, Pablo; Franco-Navarro, Juan D.; Messora, Rita; Espartero, Joaquín; Rivero-Núñez, Carlos M.; Aleza, Pablo; Capote, Nieves; Cantos, Manuel; García-Fernández, José L.; De-Cires, Alfonso; Belaj, Angjelina; León, Lorenzo; Besnard, Guillaume; Colmenero-Flores, José M.Date
2020Cita bibliográfica
Díaz-Rueda, P., Franco-Navarro, J.D., Messora R., Espartero, J., Rivero-Núñez, C.M., Aleza, P., Capote, N., Cantos, M., García-Fernández, J.L., de-Cires, A., Belaj, A., León, L., Besnard, G. & Colmenero-Flores, J.M. (2020). SILVOLIVE, a Germplasm Collection of Wild Subspecies With High Genetic Variability as a Source of Rootstocks and Resistance Genes for Olive Breeding. Front. Plant Sci. 11:629.Abstract
Wild subspecies of Olea europaea constitute a source of genetic variability with
huge potential for olive breeding to face global changes in Mediterranean-climate
regions. We intend to identify wild olive genotypes with optimal adaptability to different
environmental conditions to serve as a source of rootstocks and resistance genes for
olive breeding. The SILVOLIVE collection includes 146 wild genotypes representative of
the six O. europaea subspecies and early-generations hybrids. These genotypes came
either from olive germplasm collections or from direct prospection in Spain, continental
Africa and the Macaronesian archipelago. The collection was genotyped with plastid and
nuclear markers, confirming the origin of the genotypes and their high genetic variability.
Morphological and architectural parameters were quantified in 103 genotypes allowing
the identification of three major groups of correlative traits including vigor, branching
habits and the belowground-to-aboveground ratio. The occurrence of strong phenotypic
variability in these traits within the germplasm collection has been shown. Furthermore,
wild olive relatives are of great significance to be used as rootstocks for olive cultivation.
Thus, as a proof of concept, different wild genotypes used as rootstocks were shown
to regulate vigor parameters of the grafted cultivar “Picual” scion, which could improve
the productivity of high-density hedgerow orchards.