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supposedly primitive characters (e.g. leaf shape and hairiness, fruit length and position, or presence of
seeds in the beek) it has been suggested that Sicily is the cradle of these wild Brassica species (Gomez-
Campo and Gustafsson 1991).

Conclusions and future perspectives

The sudden disapperance of agriculture on all Egadi islands is a striking example of how genetic diversity in
the on-farm sector is sensitive to laws or regulations affecting agricultural economics. Farming on these
islands relied to a large extent on local varieties, landraces of cereals, vegetables and herbs. Within a few
years all the autochthonous crop genetic diversity will be lost completely. The dramatic genetic erosion
observed here clearly demonstrates the necessity to collect insular plant germplasm and to preserve it in ex
situ collections; on-farm conservation may help to safeguard it, but some practical problems have to be
solved (Hammer et al. 1997).

The already proven use of Mediterranean crop germplasm for Canadian oat breeding suggests further
collecting expeditions in Italy for ex-situ preservation. The recently collected Avena germplasm will be
carefully characterized and contribute to better understanding of the genepools of wild oats.
Additional data and details about the present collecting mission are reported in the exploration registers
stored c/o Istituto del Germoplasma.

Availability of germplasm

The summer in Italy was exceptionally hot. The hot, dry season resulted in early maturity of several species,
and the targeted wild plants had in most cases shed their seeds, so it was necessary to pick the seeds from
the ground. Seed quality can therefore be expected to be very good, since the seeds were mature.
Part of material collected will be divided and deposited in the genebanks of Bari, Gatersleben and Saskatoon
for further classification and characterization. After its multiplication, all the germplasm collected will be ready
for distribution to the scientists. The seeds and the detailed passport information of all accessions, including
geographical coordinates and local names, will be available to the public. The Internet sites of IG, IPK and
PGRC (GRIN-CA) will contain this information and the future characterization data.

Acknowledgements

The financial support and assistance of ‘Fondi Strutturali 1994-99. Obiettivo 1, P.O. MURST-CNR’ and
‘BRASCO’ Projects are gratefully acknowledged.

We wish also to express a special gratitude to our local guide Mr Giuseppe Guarrasi of Favignana. Only
thanks to his extraordinary helpfulness was it possible to obtain a good understanding of local agriculture,
nature and history of the Egadi islands. Mr Guarrasi guided us to all the farms still active on the Favignana
island, rendering the detection of relevant sites for collection much more efficient.
Finally, the collecting team is particularly grateful to the local farmers on the Egadi islands, who shared their
knowledge and many of their seeds, and who have preserved the local germplasm in spite of unfavourable
economic conditions during the recent years.

References

Bertolino F. 1988. Indagine sugli usi tradizionali delle piante dell’isola di Favignana (Egadi). Graduation
thesis, University of Studies of Palermo, Italy.
Bothmer R von, Gustafsson M, Snogerup S. 1995. Brassica sect. Brassica (Brassicaceae). II. Inter- and
intraspecific crosses with cultivars of B. oleracea. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 42:165-178.
Boukema IW. 1995. Taxonomic grouping to be used in the European database. ECP/GR-IPGRI Report of a
working group on Brassica, 8-14, IPGRI, Rome.
Branca F. 1991. Studi su specie erbacee della flora spontanea di interesse alimentare. Doctoral thesis,
University of Catania.
Branca F. 1998a. Il processo di germinazione di due specie spontanee di interesse ornamentale:
Centranthus ruber DC. e Euphorbia characias L. Sementi Elette XLIV(3-4):25-30.
Branca F. 1998b. Caratterizzazione di tipi di cavolfiore violetto. Proceedings of the “IV Giornate Scientifiche
SOI”, pp. 79-80.
Branca F. 1999. Caratteristiche delle bacche in tipi locali di pomodoro da serbo. Sementi Elette XLV:17-22.
Branca F. 2000. Valutazione di cultivar locali di cavolfiore violetto. Workshop “Risultati del primo anno di
attività del Piano Nazionale di Ricerca per l’Orticoltura del Mipa”, Sirmione, 2000 March 29, pp. 114-115.
Branca F, Iapichino G. 1997. Some wild and cultivated Brassicaceae exploited in Sicily as vegetables.