Molecular Markers for Detecting Inflorescence Size of L. Crops and Complex Species (n = 9) Useful for Breeding of Broccoli ( var. ) and Cauliflower ( var. ).

The gene flow from L. wild relatives to vegetable crops have occurred and continue to occur ordinarily in several Mediterranean countries, such as Sicily, representing an important hot spot of diversity for some of them, such as broccoli, cauliflower and kale. For detecting and for exploiting the forgotten alleles lost during the domestication processes of the crops, attention has been pointed to the individuation of specific markers for individuating genotypes characterized by hypertrophic inflorescence traits by the marker assisted selection (MAS) during the first plant growing phases after the crosses between broccoli ( var.

Interspecific molecular variation of Tunisian complex L. and Schreb. based on the internal transcribed spacer locus (ITS).

To establish phylogenetic relationships and estimate the intra and interspecific divergence, the amplification and the sequencing of the internal transcribed spacers of ribosomal DNA (ITS = ITS1 + 5.8S + ITS2) were analyzed in Tunisian complex - DNA. These spacer regions have evolved mainly by point mutations.