Ampelographic and Molecular Characterisation of Aglianico Accessions (Vitis vinifera L.) Collected in Southern Italy

Abstract

To characterise 31 different Aglianico accessions randomly collected in Southern Italy, 30 ampelographic
descriptors, 13 SSRs and 10 AFLP primer combinations were analysed. An appreciable variation of
ampelographic descriptors was revealed mainly by mature leaf traits, while very few variations were
recorded for shoot and berry traits. Similarly, all SSR loci revealed molecular monomorphism and AFLPs
with a very high genetic similarity (Dice coefficient) among all the accessions considered. One of the aims
of this study was to clarify the genetic assessment of Aglianico Nero and Aglianico del Vulture Nero,
since they are registered as two different cultivars with distinct varietal codes at the Italian Register of
Grape Varieties. Registered Aglianico Nero and Aglianico del Vulture Nero were included in the analyses,
compared and used as reference material. Our plants showed that all the accessions tested, independent
from the biotype, and the two registered cultivars belong to the same genotype, suggesting that, as reported
by the Vitis International Variety Catalogue, a case of synonymy occurred between Aglianico Nero and
Aglianico del Vulture Nero. These cultivars could therefore be considered as a single cultivar. Moreover,
the AFLP data revealed a partial match between morphological and molecular data, showing that the
AFLP molecular method was able to discriminate between different accessions belonging to the same
cultivar.