Morphological and genetic characterization of the Sardinian Bovale cultivars

Among the Sardinian minor known grape varieties, traditional varieties named Bovale are used to make blended or monovarietal red wines. While ampelographic, isoenzymatic and genetic studies made a distinction between the Bovale sardo and Bovale di Spagna cultivars, information regarding the relationship with similar traditional varieties are still unclear. With the aim to implement the genotypes characterization and protect the distinctiveness of these genetic resources, Bovale sardo and Bovale di Spagna were compared to Spanish and Sardinian cultivars similar in name or morphology. Ampelographic data were collected using OIV Grape Descriptor List, while genetic analysis was based on nuclear SSR and cpSSR markers. Results measured morphological and genetic distances and evidenced the relationship between Bovale cultivars and some Sardinian and Spanish traditional varieties.