Genetic Resources and Diversity of Castanea Species

Dear Colleagues,

Chestnuts belong to the genus Castanea, which consists of 13 species in the Fagaceae, a large angiosperm family with eight genera including more than 900 species. Over time, natural events such as glaciations and, more recently, human expansion have significantly influenced chestnut dispersion. Today, four representative species of huge ecological and commercial value are largely cultivated in the temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere over three continents (America, Asia, and Europe): the American chestnut (C. dentate Borkh.), the Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima Bl.), the European chestnut (C. sativa Mill.), and the Japanese chestnut (C. crenata Sieb. and Zucc.). These species form forest ecosystems furnishing resources (food, timber, fibers, biomass, etc.) and ecosystem services (air and water quality, climate mitigation, resilience, biodiversity, landscape, land protection, etc.). Despite their recognized importance in the last decades, chestnut cultivation has progressively declined due to infection and infestation associated with the introduction of alien species. Adversities have seriously decimated extensive cultivations, endangering many chestnut species and local varieties that are now at risk of being lost. New scientific acquisitions could offer the possibility of developing improved genotypes to renew the plantations. In recent times, the transferability of DNA-based molecular markers across species barrier proved conservative evolution and collinearity of genomes (synteny) among Castanea species. This also explains the occurrence of hybridization and introgression into the genus. Chestnut domestication and selective breeding led to a general reduction in genetic variability in comparison with natural populations. However, the specific genetic makeup of chestnut cultivars is still linked to their growth area so more studies are needed to investigate the richness of the gene pool of each chestnut species. Currently, DNA and RNA sequencing allow us to know a plant species like never before. A more in-depth knowledge of the underlying diversity of the chestnut, from the single nucleotide scale level to the biological level, is fundamental to making genetic resource richness immediately available for genetic improvement and new plantations. Genomic information, such as sequence databases associated with molecular marker sets, enable us to make genotype–phenotype correlations. Furthermore, in view of a global relaunch of chestnut cultivation, authenticity and traceability in the food supply chain are important factors to guarantee planting and protect producers and consumers from fraudulent commerce, respectively. In this context, comparative genomics can also be utilized to discover DNA variations with which to develop species- and cultivar-specific molecular markers. More importantly, the outcomes of these studies could be made available to all stakeholders for varietal discrimination. In conclusion, more research on the genetic resources of the Castanea species is still required to boost productivity, quality, and the sustainability of harvests, together with the safeguarding of the reservoirs of high genetic diversity at risk hotspots. To address these challenges, it is vital that we take advantage of multidisciplinary and innovative approaches with the aim of characterizing and exploiting the huge potential of chestnut diversity, both among and within species, as a source of new alleles and new genes.

This Special Issue of Plants focuses attention on the diversity of chestnut genetic resources as a potential tool to improve cultivation of the Castanea species by combining traditional and innovative technologies devoted to the identification of new traits of interest and the increase in productivity and nutritional value of fruit. Researchers are particularly welcome to submit unpublished original manuscripts and review articles to be included in this Special Issue.

Dr. Luigi De Masi
Guest Editor

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• Castanea species and varieties
• chestnut biodiversity and conservation
• natural populations
• chestnut biology and adversities
• chestnut orchards
• genetic resource characterization
• chestnut genomes and transcriptomes
• DNA-based molecular markers
• DNA polymorphisms