In situ landraces: best practice evidence-based database
A tool for promoting landrace conservation

The ‘Almagro’ eggplant is marketed canned in different sizes and has an important local market. However, it is also frequent to find it in many supermarkets in several parts of the country, including the center of Spain and some parts of the rest of Spain where a large immigration from the Center of Spain took place in the 1960s to 1980s, such as Barcelona or Valencia. The pickled ‘Almagro’ eggplant is mostly used as starter or for eating informally as tapas. More recently, some farmers are also exploring the possibility of marketing the fruits for the fresh fruit market, as they have a distinctive fruit morphology.

Obtaining the PGI status in 1994 (http://www.cerespain.com/berenjena-de-almagro-reglamento.html) certainly added a considerable value to the ‘Almagro’ landrace, as costumers have a guarantee of quality and a protection against fakes (Hurtado et al., 2014). Up to now, the ‘Almagro’ eggplant is the only eggplant in Europe having a PGI or PDO status. The fact that ‘Almagro’ is, among the eggplant varieties, one with the highest content in phenolics has also contribute to adding value to this variety, as the high content in these antioxidants is used in advertisements.

The Agronomy Institute at Orkney College UHI has been working since 2002 with Orkney growers and potential market collaborators to conserve this particular landrace. The department is led by Dr Peter Martin, whose efforts have established a local supply chain that feeds into a few breweries, distilleries, and bakeries, thus stimulating the production of 60 tons or more a year of bere (Uhi.ac.uk, 2019; Martin and Chang, 2007). This has been achieved by identifying relevant market outlets and capitalizing on interest in ‘traditional’ food products.

Barony mill, a 19^th century water mill, has also contributed to the preservation of bere and bere cultivation practices as it ensures the growing of around 50 acres to provide grain for milling processes, and then sells the meal to bakeries and meal products to tourists.

Bere barley is registered as a conservation variety in the European Common Catalogue of Conservation Varieties and is also of interest in the Slow Food movement (Food Safety - European Commission, 2019; Slow Food in the UK, 2019). In order to encourage the cultivation and promote bere on the local market, Peter Martin of the Agronomy Institute at Orkney College UHI have been working with growers and market collaborators since 2002 to stimulate interest and have successfully seen a rise in numbers of products created and sold with bere as a component. In addition to this, Barony Mill contracts out the growing of around 50 acres and mills the grain produced, selling the meal to bakeries and meal products to tourists visiting the mill.

‘Broccolo fiolaro di Creazzo’ has a rich local market. However, no official data is available on the market price and the overall turnover.

This landrace has been also recognized as ‘Prodotto Agroalimentare Tipico’ (PAT, literally Typical Food Product) by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry through technical support of Region Veneto. The PAT recognition is based on evidences that demonstrate the use of a landrace (or a processed foodstuff) in a certain area for at least 25 years.

In recent years, ‘Broccolo Fiolaro’ also caught the interest of the ‘Slow Food’ foundation that included it into a group of products called ‘the Ark of Taste’; this initiative aims at drawing attention on products at risk of extinction by inviting people to take action in order to protect them.

The cultivation methods and phases, that were part of the local oral tradition, were formalised into written guidelines that farmers need to endorse in order to be part of the agricultural society. The above-mentioned agronomical practices are analogous to the ones used under organic farming systems and thus constitutes an additional value for the final product.

Finally, FIOI Società Agricola Produttori del Broccolo Fiolaro di Creazzo recently implemented a website in which an important section reports useful information on the landrace (http://www.broccolofiolaro-fioi.it/).

The initial promotion of research and of farmer awareness triggered a virtuous process of conservation. The area under cowpea cultivation increased which in turn significantly increased the income of the farmers who cultivated the crop. The market price for the landrace increased (in the main regional province, Perugia) from 6 euro/kg in 1994 to the present 20-22 euro/kg.

The landrace is included into the Regional Register of Landraces, implementing the Umbria Region Law concerning the protection of local genetic resources (n. 25, 2001).

In order to encourage the cultivation of ‘Fagiolina del Lago Trasimeno’, a request for the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label has been promoted. ‘Fagiolina del Lago Trasimeno’ also caught the interest of the Slow Food movement which included it among its ‘presidia’, and, within a few years, it became a must in many top restaurants, even outside the region Umbria.

It has a rich, local and national market due to its unique taste, texture, nutritional value and boiling quality. Although production is low, the demand is high. The distribution of Englouvi's lentils takes place after its harvest each July to August. Usually all the production is sold immediately as it has been already sold out due to huge demand before finishing the harvest. The lentils are sold only in bulk with the kilogram and in a high price. The consumers can buy ‘Faki Eglouvis’ directly from the producers at the village of Eglouvi or they can order on-line from the farmer's websites or by sending an e-mail.

Every year on the 6th of August, the lentils festival takes place. The inhabitants and the farmers celebrate their local production, and ‘Faki Eglouvis’ is cooked and served to the visitors of the plateau.

In 2006 ‘Faki Eglouvis was registered into the catalogue of extensive crops threatened by genetic erosion and funded under Measure 3.8 of Axis 3 ‘Agro-environment measures’ of the Agricultural Development Programme 2000-2006 following the implementation of the Common Ministerial Desicion 620/135644/06-07-2005 (Ministerial Desicion 218151/23-06-2006, Governmental Gazette 823/4-7-2006).

Isolation of the island and the special plateau microclimate may have contributed to the development of a distinct genetic background of the landrace that merits further study. ‘Faki Eglouvis’ is a landrace cultivated for a long time in an isolated area, with no purposeful admixture of the planting material with other varieties, which enjoys high market value and appreciation by consumers, but is frequently adulterated and downgraded in the market. The unique characteristics such as the great taste and high nutritional value of ‘Faki Eglouvis’ increased the consumers’ interest that in combination with the low crop yield formed a high market price. (Tsanakas et al. 2018).

Local income from this LR can be estimated around 250,000 €. Nowadays, the ‘Monteleone di Spoleto’ emmer has undergone a successful marketing strengthening thanks to some farmers’ initiatives. In October 2002 seven local farmers constituted themselves into the ‘Association of Monteleone di Spoleto Emmer’.

The landrace is included into the Regional Register of Landraces, implementing the Umbria Region Law concerning the protection of local genetic resources (n. 25, 2001).

The ‘Monteleone di Spoleto’ emmer also holds the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label and represents a good example of successful use of territorial labels for the promotion of a product obtained from a landrace.

The unique natural environment, help to create ideal soil and climatic conditions, making it possible to grow a top quality product that is increasingly sought after on the Greek market.’Fava Feneou’ has a rich local and national market due to its quality. Most of the farmers sell the product directly and the price is lower than other fava products. Recently actions were taken from the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Kiato for the promotion of the product with the participation in food exhibitions and other events but the competition in the market is high. The reputation of ‘Fava Feneou’ is confirmed by historical and bibliographical references, the use of the name on packaged products found on the market, articles in local and national newspapers, media broadcasts and material found on the internet, mainly relating to food and tourism, etc.

In 2016 ‘Fava Feneou’ was registered into the European List of Protected Designation of Origin products (EC No: EL-PGI-0005-01339-26.05.2015) following the COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs and No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21^st November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffes (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52016XC0505(01)&from=EN). As a consiquence all stages of the production process from cultivation (preparing the ground, sowing, irrigation, application of fertilizer, weed control, plant protection) to harvesting and drying the product, as well as collecting the seed for the following year's crop, must take place within the defined geographical area and the packaging bears the words ‘Fava Feveou’ PGI and all the necessary information according to the EU and national law.

The soil and climatic conditions in the Feneos area, the unique natural environment, the use of traditional cultivation methods, which have remained virtually unchanged for decades, as they still do things in the traditional way (e.g. weeding and harvesting mainly by hand) and the growers' knowledge and experience of exactly when to harvest the product, the rigorous selection of the seeds to safeguard the purity of ‘Fava Feneou’, are the factors that determine the product's specific characteristics and its superior quality. The protein, carbohydrate and plant (dietary) fiber content, characteristics make ‘Fava Feneou’ a specific, highly nutritious food for human consumption. Besides, all the local and cultural events that have taken place and continue to date in the area of Feneos and Stymphalia are closely related to the product.

Much of the production is sold directly to restaurants where it is used as an accompaniment to grilled meats or in traditional dishes. Another part is transformed into sterilized preserves or sold in markets, previously cooked. Due to the ease of identification of the seed, its promotion is based on the objective description of its sensory quality and on the way to recognize the highest quality beans (the most curved ones). At the same time, tests have been carried out to study the effects of the environment on the sensory value of the seed. Since one of the main problems of the Ganxet bean is its difficulty in obtaining sterilized preserves (a high percentage of the seeds is broken during sterilization), more suitable areas have been identified for obtaining seed for conservation (clay soils), and others more suitable for obtaining seed intended for cooking without sterilization (soils with a certain proportion of sand). This environmental differentiation is being used to explain the singularities of each terroir within the PDO, something similar to what has been done for years with other products such as wine.

The Ganxet bean has historically been recognized for its sensory characteristics and has reached a high market price. This fact, linked to its low productivity compared to other varieties of indeterminate growth that are cultivated in the area, facilitated all kinds of tricks (mixtures, using other slightly hooked varieties such as White Kidney, etc.) to increase profits. These manipulations, often carried out by intermediaries, misled the new consumers in the 80s of the past century with an uncontrolled market and little information. The achievement of the PDO in the year 2011 (http://agricultura.gencat.cat/ca/ambits/alimentacio/distintius-origen-qualitat-agroalimentaria/dop/productes-reconeixement-comunitari/mongeta-ganxet/) clearly separated the guaranteed material, with high sensory quality of the material not guaranteed. Like any new development, the implementation of the PDO regime has been slow, and the secondment of new farmers also. Most of them that have particular customers well consolidated, are reluctant to join the PDO. Currently, the market already clearly recognizes the PDO material and, as indicated above, some areas adjacent to the first protected area are in the process of being added to the geographical labelled product. Both, raw beans and processed beans, that carry the DOP label achieve prices that are clearly higher in the market. The high protein content of Ganxet (up to 28%) means also an important added value for the diet.

‘Gniff’ is still very much appreciated on the local market in the Malcantone region. Thanks to the cooperation between Coop and ProSpecieRara, ‘Gniff’ is in discussion for sales in bigger Coop Supermarktes throughout Switzerland. Furthermore, it can be found on farmers’ markets all over Switzerland.

During the European project DIVERSIFOOD, the Gniff carrot and deriving breeding lines were tested for their taste characteristics in collaboration with chefs. A rather rustic taste of low sweetness, with spicy, herbal, earthy flavors was attested to the line of the original Gniff. Due to the genetics from modern varieties, the newly developed breeding lines were rather sweet, but otherwise a bit shallow. Chefs therefore preferred the taste properties of the original Gniff. As such, taste breeding goals of the new lines were defined rather close to the original landrace.

Among the rye conservation varieties in Finland ‘Iivo’ has the largest cultivation area. In North Carelia region it is considerably comparative compared to modern rye varieties.

Its seed is produced under the certified seed lot standards in Finland. Seed testing of conservation varieties is preceded as same manner as for normal certified seed lots including field inspection and laboratory analysis. Also the prices of inspections and analyses are the same as for normal seed lots. If the seed lot meets the standards set for conservation varieties it can approved for marketing in Finland. Seed bags need to labelled. In 2018 it has permission for seed production in 12 ha area. (Finnish Food Authorities 2019).

‘Iivo’ is registered in Finland as a conservation variety in the European Common Catalogue of Conservation Varieties (EU Plant variety database 2019; Finnish Plant Variety Journal 2019). The modified DUS-test is done during the registration process. The official variety trials for three years have been done (Kangas et al 2002).

The market of ‘Kremmydi Thespion’ is mostly local and national. The landrace is commercialised as row product (i.e. sets, bulbs and onions). They use it for the preparation of typical greek dishes, such as ‘Stifado’. The main concern of the farmers now is to find ways to increase the attention of the other European and non-European markets. Most of the farmers sell the products using distributors (personal communication with Panagiotis Dritsas, representative of the Agricultural Cooperative of Thespies and farmer).

Each summer, the ‘Onion Festival’ is the most important cultural event. All actors are involved and the participation of people is wide. The traditional onion-based dishes (‘stifatho’, pies, etc.) are served to everyone’.

In 2016, an application was made from the Agricultural Cooperative of Thespies to the Variety Research Institute of the Cultivated Plants of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food for the registration of the onion in the Catalogue of Conservation Varieties according to the EC Recommendation 2008/62/EU of the 20^th June 2008 (L 162)’. Recently it was accepted and it resulted as the first Greek registered landrace in the Catalogue.

Until the 1980s the ‘Küttiger Rüebli’ was mainly marketed locally in Küttigen and surroundings. With the beginning of commercialisation of seeds by Sativa Rheinau after 1999, the interest has grown at a national level, nowadays it can even be found in bigger Supermarkets throughout Switzerland. The landrace is primarily marketed as a raw product although it can sometimes be found pickled or dried the traditional way on farmers’ markets or in local shops. Local restaurants serve the pickled ‘Küttiger Rüebli’ together with a white sauce, black pudding and liver sausages or with apple slices.

In order to promote and maintain the ‘Küttiger Rüebli’ and other local carrot varieties on the local market and as traditional varieties, a commission established the ‘Aarauer Rüeblimärt’ (Aarauer carrot market) where the ‘Küttiger Rüebli’ still is sold by the Countrywomen’s Association Küttigen (Landfrauenverein Küttigen). The event takes place in Aarau every year on the first Wednesday of November. The ‘Küttiger Rüebli’ has been recognised as part of the ‘Culinary heritage of Switzerland’.

Grey peas have been out of fashion for a long time. The new Nordic food movement has called for renewed interest in this species. Grey peas have been involved in research projects and trials to regain lost and develop new knowledge on the crop.

Legumes are becoming more used for home cooking, as vegetarian protein source, and some high-end restaurants use them as a speciality. ‘Lollandske rosiner’ has this characteristic slight bitter taste, which to some people are more attractive compared to the commercial very sweet pea.

Successful cooperation allowed the market of ‘Nostrano di Storo’ to grow exponentially. In particular, the establishment of the Agri 90 cooperative allowed the farmers to have the facility of processing the products and place them on the local and national market. ‘Nostrano si Storo’ is commercialised directly as flour or as ready-to-cook cornmeal mush. The market value is estimated around 2 million euros.

‘Nostrano di Storo’ is registered as conservation variety in the European Common Catalogue of Conservation Varieties following the Commission Directive 2008/62/CE of 20 June 2008.

‘Piparjuuri Vehmaa’ is commercially cultivated by two farmers who sell root crop to wholesale business to be sold as fresh in retail shops in Finland. ‘Piparjuuri Vehmaa’ covers over half of horseradish production in Finland (Finnish Food Authorities 2018). One farmer has developed a special seasonal product of horseradish sauce for local markets. The limited time and marketing resources restricts a large-scale product development. (Farmer interview 2019) The stronger taste (higher content of glucosinalites) has proved to be a competitive edge over imported horseradish.

Its morphological (Suojala-Ahlfors 2014) and genetic (finger printing) characterisations have been carried out (Wedelsbäck Bladh et al 2014) and glucosinolates content has been evaluated (Wedelsbäck Bladh et al 2013) and compared to other Nordic horseradish clones.

‘Rheintaler Ribelmais’ has been experiencing a renaissance over the last few years. Overall production in 2005 in the Reinthal region was 30 tonnes, part of which went to local restaurants, bakeries and breweries, while the other part was sold through retail businesses, both locally and nationally.

The designation ‘Rheintaler Ribelmais’, which represents an independent variety, has been protected since 2000 with the designation of origin ‘Rheintaler Ribelmais AOP’ (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) as the first cereal product of Switzerland. Numerous regional products are produced from the ‘Rheintaler Ribelmais AOP’. For example, the corn beer of the regional brewery Sonnenbräu marketed under the protected brand name Ribelgold. The ‘Rheintaler RIbelmais’ has been recognised as part of the ‘Culinary heritage of Switzerland’ (https://www.patrimoineculinaire.ch/Produkte?text=ribelmais&canton=&categorie=#285).

‘Solina’ soft wheat has a limited niche market. Thanks to the Slow Food initiative, it is common to find products also outside the Region Abruzzo. Flour of organic ‘Solina’ is currently sold for about 3.5 €/kg.

‘Solina’ has been recognized as ‘Prodotto Agroalimentare Tipico’ (PAT, litteraly Typical Food Product) by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry through the technical support of Regione Abruzzo. The PAT recognition is based on evidences that demonstrate the use of a landrace (or a processed foodstuff) in a certain area for at least 25 years.

‘Solina’ also caught the interest of the Slow Food movement which included it among its ‘presidia’, and, within a few years, the derived products became a must in many top restaurants, even outside the Abruzzo Region.

Undoubtedly, the small-size, anhydrous ‘Tomataki’ plays an important role in the gastronomic identity of the island. It can be consumed as fresh fruit or as processed product, such as tomato paste, juice, sauce, dip, sun-dried tomatoes and spread. The tomato paste, rich in lycopene and antioxidants is very famous for the bright red colour, the velvety texture and the natural sweet taste. The establishments and the modern equipment of the tomato process factory of the Union of Santorini Cooperatives give the facility of processing all the above products and place them on the local and national market. The last years, steps are made to increase the production and the promotion of the product to other European and non-European markets and the market for ‘Tomataki’ was expanded, while people from all over the world can by on-line all the products of the Union of Santorini Cooperatives e-shop (https://santowines.gr/en/). Most of the farmers sell the tomato production to the Union as a labelled PDO product but some times during the summer they sell it directly at local taverns as fresh fruit.

In 2013 ‘Tomataki Santorinis’ was registered into the European List of Protected Designation of Origin products (EC No: EL-PDO-0005-0888-26.08.2011) following the COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2013:167:0022:0026:EN:PDF). The small yield per hectare on Santorini's dry soils (average yield around 5 tonnes and only in exceptional cases they reach 10 tonnes maximum per hectare compared with around 100 tonnes per hectare for outdoor tomatoes grown inland) means that ‘Tomataki Santorinis’ fetches a substantially higher price, which is a major incentive to fraud. The PDO label will protect the outstanding reputation of the product marketed.

The principal advantages of ‘Tomataki’ grown on Santorini are their higher sugar content and their higher level of total soluble solids. This specific quality characteristic is the result of the combined influence of the genetic material of the local variety, the traditional cultivation method used by the farmers, naturally, Santorini's and the surrounding islands’ soil and climate conditions and the adaptation of the plant to the environment of Santorini. The unique ecosystem that was created by the volcanic explosions on Santorini island, the volcanic ash, the barren, sandy soil, and the resilience of the plant to poor drainage lands, humidity created by the sea, drought, heavy winds and its adaptability to the volcanic soil of the island make ‘Tomataki’ a resource with an important agronomic and commercial value too. ‘Tomataki Santorinis’ is a striking example of a highly-priced local product of excellent quality whose production involves the sustainable use of unique natural resources.