• Biotecnology
• Biology
• Hazelnut
• Germplasm
• Diversity
• Phenptype
• Genotype

Hazelnut has a crucial role in the food industry and raw material are often sourced outside of the country. Fruits produced in different areas have varying phenotypic and genetic traits, resulting in a wide diversity. Producers need to know the best fruits for different productions to enhance the efficiency of the selection phase.
This project aims at the creation of a database of genetic and morphological diversity within a representative collection of hazelnuts.
For the identification of the genetic basis, SNP markers derived from DNA sequencing were used to study the diversity and to derive a minimal set of 17 markers to distinguish the varieties and to apply in understanding the percentage composition in production batches, influencing the final use. A protocol for extracting genetic material from slurry, a product obtained from grinding, was developed.
Hazelnuts from 5 locations were phenotyped to derive morphological traits and to identify hazelnut varieties with idea traits for the industry and to understand how the growing habitat influences the fruits.
Phenotypic data and genomic data were used in a GWAS to identify genomic positions of loci responsible of phenotypic traits; six genetic loci significantly associated with phenotypic traits were found.
This work demonstrates how genomics and high-throughput phenotyping can unlock new horizons in leveraging hazelnut's vast agrobiodiversity.