Rocket: a Mediterranean crop for the world - Bioversity International

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ROCKET GENETIC RESOURCES NETWORK
Fig. 1. Diplotaxis berthautii: Fig. 2. Diplotaxis catholica: Fig. 3. Diplotaxis ibicenseed;
reticulum with narrow seed; reticulum with wide sis: seed; reticulum
lumina. lumina. scarcely prominent.
Fig. 4. Diplotaxis longi- Fig. 5. Diplotaxis siifolia: Fig. 6. Diplotaxis viminea:
siliqua subsp. cossoniana: seed; reticulum with seed; reticulum with very
seed; reticulate-rugulate medium lumina. narrow lumina.
ornamentation.
Fig. 7 (left). Eruca pinnatifida
var. aurea: seed; reticulum
scarcely prominent
with subcircular lumina.
Fig. 8 (right). Eruca sativa:
seed; reticulum with subcircular
lumina.
On the basis of these biometric data, and particularly referring to colour,
ornamentation, length, width and thickness of the seeds, we are able to clearly
typify and differentiate the 20 taxa studied.
The taxa belonging to the genus Diplotaxis show seed reticulum length ranging
from 0.64 to 1.20 mm, width from 0.45 to 0.85 mm, thickness from 0.30 to 0.85 mm,
whereas seed coat and colour vary largely in type and tonality.
Within the three analyzed entities of the genus Eruca, a greater morphobiometric
interspecific homogeneity has been detected which clearly distinguishes them from
the other taxa belonging to Diplotaxis. The most important discriminative character
between these two genera is represented by the seed length, which in Eruca varies
from 1.30 to 1.55 mm (Fig. 9).