Francesc Casañas

Characteristics of a common bean landrace (Phaseolus vulgaris L) of great culinary value and selection of a commercial inbred line

The Ganxet bean is a landrace that is greatly appreciated in northeast Spain. For commercial purposes a pure line selection process was undertaken in this landrace. Simultaneously, the Ganxet bean was compared with standard controls for nutritional traits. Seven inbred lines, representative of the variability within the Ganxet germplasm, were studied per se and compared with bean varieties White Kidney, Navy, Faba Asturiana and Tolosa. The Ganxet germplasm was found to contain more protein, less total dietary fibre, more digestible dietary fibre, a higher proportion of seedcoat, more glucose and less starch than the controls. Study of the agronomic, commercial, nutritional and gastronomic aspects of the Ganxet inbred lines showed sufficient variability to allow two inbred lines representative of Ganxet germplasm to be chosen for commercialisation.

The endangered future of organoleptically prestigious European landraces: Ganxet bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) as an example of a crop originating in the Americas

The environmental and cultural diversity of Southwest Europe favored the diversification of crops arriving from America, giving rise to many new landraces. Gastronomy played an important role in their evolution. These landraces would later be substituted by genetically improved varieties, but some, like the Ganxet bean cultivated in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, have survived thanks to their superior sensory qualities. The distinctive flat and extremely hooked shape of the Ganxet seed has facilitated the detection of altered germplasm yielding less hooked seeds. In the present study, the use of RAPD and ALFP markers has enabled us to estimate the variability of Ganxet entries, determine the sources of introgression, and discuss the dangers menacing European landraces with superior organoleptic qualities. The low variability among prototypical Ganxet lines increased as less and less hooked materials were included in the analysis. The more productive Great Northern-type germplasm was found to be the main source of introgression in Ganxet. Successful introgression of more productive improved germplasm into landraces is probably a general phenomenon. So, in the absence of morphological markers, objective studies of the organoleptic value of landraces and thorough description using genetic markers become essential to ensure that the growing commercial interest in superior landraces is not reduced to a mere marketing operation.

Toward an Evolved Concept of Landrace

The term “landrace” has generally been defined as a cultivated, genetically heterogeneous variety that has evolved in a certain ecogeographical area and is therefore adapted to the edaphic and climatic conditions and to its traditional management and uses. Despite being considered by many to be inalterable, landraces have been and are in a constant state of evolution as a result of natural and artificial selection. Many landraces have disappeared from cultivation but are preserved in gene banks. Using modern selection and breeding technology tools to shape these preserved landraces together with the ones that are still cultivated is a further step in their evolution in order to preserve their agricultural significance. Adapting historical landraces to present agricultural conditions using cutting-edge breeding technology represents a challenging opportunity to use them in a modern sustainable agriculture, as an immediate return on the investment is highly unlikely. Consequently, we propose a more inclusive definition of landraces, namely that they consist of cultivated varieties that have evolved and may continue evolving, using conventional or modern breeding techniques, in traditional or new agricultural environments within a defined ecogeographical area and under the influence of the local human culture. This includes adaptation of landraces to new management systems and the unconscious or conscious selection made by farmers or breeders using available technology. In this respect, a mixed selection system might be established in which farmers and other social agents develop evolved landraces from the variability generated by public entities.

Breeding for yield and nutritive value in forage maize: An easy criterion for stover quality, and genetic analysis of Lancaster variety

SummaryThe maize populations BS13 (S2) C4 and Lancaster are compared with respect to their potential as forage maize. In light of the preliminary results, the Lancaster population was chosen for a more thorough study.The determination of NDF gave a sufficiently precise estimate of the stover digestibility within our experimental conditions. The heritability of stover and grain production was 0.59 and 0.30, respectively, whilst that of the stover NDF was 0.32.The additive genetic correlation between NDF and stover production, possibly attributable to the architecture of the plant, favours the selection of genotypes that produce more and better forage.

Spanish onion landraces (Allium cepa L.) as sources of germplasm for breeding calçots: a morphological and molecular survey

Calçots are the immature floral stems of second-year resprouts of the ‘Blanca Tardana de Lleida’ (BTL) onion landrace, and to date, breeding has used only a few populations. So, we aimed to increase our knowledge of the variability of BTL and to explore its characteristics and genetic dissimilarity with other varieties that might be used in calçot breeding programs. We analyzed the agronomic and morphological traits of four populations of BTL, two synthetic varieties of BTL, 20 prestigious Spanish landraces, and 4 exotic onion landraces. Furthermore, we used three combinations of AFLP primers and seven microsatellites to analyze their genetic background. The Spanish landraces (including BTL) shared a large part of their genetic background, which showed considerable variability (heterozygosity around 0.5). Morphological traits also had high variability, so multiple breeding strategies can be used, ranging from intravarietal selection to crossings between populations to take advantage of the heterosis, both for the bulb and for the calçot improvement.

Tools for breeding 'calçots' (Allium cepa L.), an expanding crop

‘Calcots’, the floral stems of second-year onion resprouts of the ‘Ceba Blanca Tardana de Lleida’ landrace, have a growing market. Different constraints have prevented the inclusion of sensory attributes in ‘calcot’ breeding programs. Thus, we aimed to: (i) elaborate a sensory ideotype representing consumers’ preferences for ‘calcots’, (ii) design an easy protocol for preparing samples and training a sensory panel to evaluate them, and (iii) describe the sensory attributes of ‘calcots’ derived from the main Spanish landraces of onion to point out possible strategies for breeding for sensory quality. A selected group of consumers determined that the sensory ideotype of ‘calcots’ should have high sweetness, low fiber perception, and no off flavors. Samples of 50 ‘calcots’ from a single accession, roasted in the oven at 270°C for 18 min, stripped of their two external leaves, cut off at a height of 20 cm, and pureed, proved adequate for sensory panel evaluation even after being frozen and defrosted. A panel was trained until it was good at distinguishing between accessions (when neither the panelist effect nor the interaction panelist × accession was significant). This trained panel found many significant differences in sensory traits among the ‘calcots’ from Spanish landraces of onion. Although, none of these landraces was as close to the ideotype as the ‘Ceba Blanca Tardana de Lleida’ landrace traditionally used for ‘calcots’, crosses with some of these varieties would probably lead to heterotic base populations for breeding. The genotypic correlations found suggested that agromorphologic and sensory advances are compatible, so the information given should promote the inclusion of sensory quality as a new breeding objective. Key words : Ideotype, ‘Calcot’, onion, sensory attributes, genetic variability, sample preparation, spanish landraces, panel training.

Culinary alternatives for common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.): sensory characteristics of immature seeds.

BACKGROUND Immature bean seeds feature in several dishes in southern Europe; however, they are not used in all traditional areas of dry beans cultivation. To determine whether differences in the use of immature seeds are due to cultural reasons or intrinsic properties of the seeds, the prestigious varieties of beans cultivated in three areas of Spain with different traditions regarding the use of immature seeds in bean dishes were studied. RESULTS We found differences in the culinary and sensory traits between beans harvested when mature and those harvested when immature in the three areas. However, the degree and direction of these differences varied according to the area. Moreover, the different varieties tested within each area responded differently. The sum of the genetic, environmental and interaction effects results in complex alternatives to the mature beans; the gastronomic tradition has taken advantage of only some of these alternatives. CONCLUSIONS A lack of traditional dishes using immature beans does not mean that the local beans harvested when immature lack suitable sensory traits. Specific trials in each area of cultivation can reveal alternative textures and bean flavour intensities in immature seeds.

Using Trendsetting Chefs to Design New Culinary Preparations with the “Penjar” Tomato

New food products are normally marketed after research regarding consumers’ preferences. As an alternative, we used trendsetting chefs to develop and evaluate products with the traditional, long shelf life, “Penjar” tomato (alc gene). The most appreciated creations were Catalan bread with tomato, tomato sauce, and tomato jam, excelling by its flavor complexity and balance. The description of the products by a trained panel revealed significant differences between varieties (especially between the food products elaborated with the “Penjar” type and conventional tomatoes). However, it was not easy to match the chefs’ assessments about sensory properties with the panel descriptions.

Sensory changes related to breeding for plant architecture and resistance to viruses and anthracnose in bean market class Fabada (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Consumers hold landraces in high esteem and often consider that breeding programs lead to a loss of sensory quality, although consumers’ opinions have not been scientifically confirmed. As a model case of study we recorded seed sensory traits in six inbred common bean lines classified in the market class Fabada obtained by backcrossing and/or pedigree selection (to change the plant architecture and increase resistances) and then cultivated in two environments in two consecutive years. A sensory panel noted differences among all the inbreds, but only the introduction of the gene fin (determinate growth habit) seemed to be associated to a loss of quality (rougher seed coat and lower percentage of whole beans after cooking). As theoretically expected, changes in sensory traits were smaller in inbreds obtained through simple backcrossing than in those obtained through pedigree selection after inbred crossing. Large differences in sensory traits due to environmental factors were also recorded (similar to the genetic effects in magnitude), especially soil type and rainfall around flowering. These results make it highly recommendable to evaluate sensory attributes in the course of breeding programs to ensure that the sensory quality is not lost. Given the importance of the environmental component in the phenotypic variation of the sensory traits studied, crop location and management also appear as key factors for the obtainment of optimum products.

Is It Still Necessary to Continue to Collect Crop Genetic Resources in the Mediterranean Area? A Case Study in Catalonia

Crop genetic resources have been extensively collected in Europe in the last century, creating large, publicly available ex situ collections. While this huge genetic diversity is often underutilized, in recent decades, several initiatives have emerged at the local level to collect germplasm cultivated on farm. Uncoordinated actors often carry out these collecting missions without considering previously collected data. To explore whether new collecting missions are likely to be worthwhile, we studied the crop genetic resources conservation network in Catalonia by analyzing the passport data and geographical distribution of germplasm stored in seed banks. Moreover, to determine whether this germplasm was representative of the diversity cultivated on farm, we performed new collecting missions in four randomly selected areas in the European Union’s Natura 2000 network and compared the results with the ex situ databases. Seed banks currently hold a large germplasm collection (2931 accessions), although most materials are conserved in private collections without regulated systems for seed regeneration and are not present as duplicates in the National Inventory. One important shortcoming of the ex situ network is that the germplasm conserved ex situ shows a low geographical coverage, representing only 35.3% of the municipalities in Catalonia. Our new missions allowed us to collect 234 accessions, mostly tomatoes (17.5%) and beans (16.2%). The ecological indicators’ richness (both at species (S) and variety (V) levels), total abundance (A), and the Shannon-Weaver diversity index calculated at species (H2, considering the different accessions of each variety as a single population) and variety levels (H3, considering the intra-varietal genetic diversity) were higher in the newly collected germplasm than in the ex situ collections, suggesting that seed banks do not accurately represent the genetic diversity still cultivated on farm. Moreover, some important landraces from each area were absent or underrepresented in the ex situ collections. Thus, it is necessary to continue to devote efforts to collecting germplasm; better organization between actors and targeting specific species/varieties can increase the efficiency of new collecting missions. As a conclusion, we propose different criteria to guide new missions and to improve the network’s conservation activities.