A team of researchers found greater genetic diversity than expected among ancient and monumental olive trees sampled across Calabria and Basilicata in Southern Italy. The study, published in Frontiers in Plant Science, analyzed 347 olive trees from the two regions, including 172 monumental specimens, some of which have survived for centuries.
Researchers identified 114 distinct genetic profiles that did not match any cultivar in the reference databases they used, revealing a previously undocumented reservoir of olive biodiversity. Given the high proportion of previously unidentified genetic profiles found in the limited survey, the researchers believe broader sampling could reveal even greater diversity.
