Eco-physiological behaviors of some apple genotypes (Malus x domestica Borkh.) in the hot-and-dry climate of an inner area of Southern Italy

The Italian internal areas are distant from the main trade flows and service centers, but have important environmental and cultural resources. The Italian “National Strategy for Inner Areas” represents a novel policy aimed at contrast the abandon of these territories by supporting multiple activities aimed at stimulating economic development and promoting territorial cohesion. The condition of marginality offers the chance to pursue economic development according to the principles of sustainability. These internal areas are often distinguished by a purely rural vocation. Genotypes of fruit crops traditionally grown in inland areas cope often with difficult climatic conditions and low-input farming techniques, showing generally a good tolerance to abiotic tresses. Exploring their eco-physiological behaviors in response to the agri-environmental context is useful for identifying crops capable of stimulating the recovery and expansion of a sustainable agriculture system in inland areas. The present work reports some results of a research conducted on three traditional local apple genotypes grown in an internal hot-arid summer area of Southern Italy, evaluating their water status and the intensity of leaf gas exchange compared to those of a well-known “standard” cultivar, in a hot, dry summer period. The local genotypes tested in this case study proved to be more eco-physiologically performing. The experiment allowed to estimate their probable relative eco-physiological advantages compared to the “standard” apple genotype taken as reference.