Luciano Cappellozza
Istituto per la Zoologia Agraria
Padova, Italy
For historians, a controversy still exists regarding the origin and time of the first introduction of mulberry to Italy. Most agree that the two main species of mulberry, the Black mulberry (Morus nigra) and White mulberry (M. alba) came from Asia - the first from Persia (present-day Iran) and the second from the Far East. It seems, however, that M. nigra was the first to be adapted and cultivated for its fruit, not only for food but also for medicinal purposes by the Greeks and Romans. During the first century AD, Pliny highlighted its importance from the pharmaceutical and cosmetic points of view while, two centuries later, Palladio provided the earliest information on its cultivation (Bertelli Bergamaschi, 1994).
There are no precise references to the dates of the introduction and expansion of White mulberry in Europe. It is the frequent opinion of academics that the mulberry present in western Europe until mediaeval times was M. nigra and that M. alba was introduced in Italy with sericulture, and thus between the ninth and the twelfth centuries. The first clear and unequivocal declaration of the presence of M. alba in Italy comes from Pescia where, in 1434 Francesco Bonvicino, upon his return from the Orient, showed some plants that he had brought back (Bertelli Bergamaschi, 1994).
The real development, in Italy and in Europe, of the mulberry cultivation with M. alba was determined by its link with sericulture, which made the cultivation of mulberry not only relevant, but also generalized in the territory of the Italian peninsula and in a few other European countries (Greece, France and Spain).
Both the experience gained during the course of the centuries when mulberry cultivation was practised and the most recent technical and scientific information indicate that mulberry is a rustic plant, which in Italy grows well in the flat lands, in the hills and in the mountains, up to the limit of the region of the chestnut tree. The best zones are the hills and sunny flat highlands. The best vegetative development is achieved in fertile lands with discrete water sources, but mulberry also grows well in calcaric soils with good water availability. The plant prefers the temperate climate to colder areas, but it can be cultivated in hot regions next to the sea or the mountains which have a mitigating effect on the high temperatures. This is why mulberry plantations should be in well-exposed land.
Despite the close interdependency with silkworm, mulberry has never received much scientific interest in Italy. It has been recently written: "... it is regrettable that about a plant which has for long, long time determined the Italian agricultural landscape there is still not a systematic study which follows its evolution in time" (Zanier, 1998).
The mulberry currently cultivated for its leaves to feed the Bombyx mori, is mostly M. alba, with its various varieties and spontaneous hybrids. Some of these have been present in the territory for a long time, while others were more recently (from the 1930s to 1950s) imported from the Far East (Japan in particular). From specialized mulberry cultivation (formed basically by selected varieties), plants were disseminated throughout the various regions of Italy, but the only remnants of previous sericultural activity are high trunk plants, isolated or aligned along fences and roads. These are either definitely "wild" plants, thus derived from spontaneous hybridization, or selected M. alba varieties reproduced by stakes. Often the same varieties are called differently with local names, which does not help taxonomic classification and adds to the lack of homogeneity in the systematic classification at international level. For example, varieties of M. multicaulis (Rangaswami et al., 1976), such as the Kokuso 20, 21 and 70, are described as M. latifolia by other authors (Machii, Koyana and Yamanouchi, 1999).
In Italy, the most important germplasm collection of the Morus genus is at the Sericulture Section of the Livestock Experimental Institute, Padova (Sezione Specializzata per la Bachicoltura de Padova, Istituto).
TABLE 1
List of Morus varieties in the Padova collection.
|
No |
species |
Variety |
No |
species |
Variety |
|
1 |
M. multicaulis |
Lhou |
2 |
M. bombycis (K) |
Akagi |
|
3 |
M. alba (L.) |
Arancina |
4 |
M. alba (L.) |
Ascolana |
|
5 |
M. alba (L.) |
Cattaneo |
6 |
M. alba (L.) |
Cattaneo |
|
7 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Daikokusou |
8 |
M. bombycis (Koidz) |
Dateakagi |
|
9 |
M. bombycis (Koidz.) |
Enshuutakasuke |
10 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Filippine |
|
11 |
M. alba (L.) |
Florio |
12 |
M. alba (L.) |
Giazzola |
|
13 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Goshoerami |
14 |
M. alba (L.) |
Ichinose |
|
15 |
M. alba (L.) o indica (L.)? |
Indiana |
16 |
M. alba (L.) |
Kayriou nezumigaeshi |
|
17 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Kayriou rosou |
18 |
M. alba (L.) |
Kayriou wase juumonji |
|
19 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Kasuga |
20 |
M. bombycis (K) |
Kenmochi |
|
21 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Kokka (?) |
22 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Kokuso 20 |
|
23 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Kokuso 21 |
24 |
M. alba (L.) |
Kokuso 27 |
|
25 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Kokuso 70 |
26 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Kokuso rosso |
|
27 |
? |
Korinne |
28 |
M. alba (L.) |
Limoncina |
|
29 |
? |
Miura |
30 |
M. alba (L.) |
Morettiana |
|
31 |
? |
Muki |
32 |
M. alba (L.) |
Nervosa |
|
33 |
M. nigra |
|
34 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Okaraguwa |
|
35 |
M. alba (L.) |
Pendula |
36 |
M. kagayamae (K) |
Platanoide |
|
37 |
M. alba (L.) |
Pyramidalis |
38 |
M. alba (L.) |
Restelli |
|
39 |
M. alba (L.) |
Rosa di lombardia |
40 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Rosou |
|
41 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Seijuurou |
42 |
M. alba (L.) |
Selvatica a lamina intera |
|
43 |
M. alba (L.) |
Selvatica a lamina lobata |
44 |
? |
Selvatico |
|
45 |
M. bombycis (Koidz.) |
Shimanouchi |
46 |
M. alba (L.) |
Sinuense |
|
47 |
M. alba (L.) |
Spagna a frutto bianco |
48 |
M. alba (L.) |
Spagna a frutto nero |
|
49 |
M. alba (L.) |
Sterile |
50 |
M. alba (L.) |
Tagowase |
|
51 |
M. latifolia (Poir) (multicaulis) |
Tougounishiki |
52 |
M. bombycis (Koidz.) |
Yamanaka-Takasuke |
Recently within the project "New technologies for the relaunching of Italian sericulture", financed by MAFP, some of these varieties are being studied phenotypically, genetically (using the RAPD technique) and for their productive and quality profile, with leaf analysis during various times of the year and different environments (north and south of Italy). The results of this research will be published soon.
In addition, the Sericulture Section of Padova, in collaboration with the Department of Animal Biology and Genetics of the University of Florence and other research units, is preparing a project on the "multiuse of mulberry", in order to examine the possibilities of other uses of the plant besides sericulture, such as for animal husbandry, for wood, for fruit, for the food and pharmaceutical industries, for landscaping and reforestation. Within the scope of this project, will be a systematic work on germplasm collection from the wild types in the various Italian regions, on genetic analysis and on multiplication of superior genotypes. This work will start as soon as funding is assured.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bertelli Bergamaschi, M. 1994. Seta e colori nell’alto medioevo. 440 pp.
Machii, H., Koyama A. & Yamanouchi, H. 1999. Fruit traits of genetic mulberry resources. J. Sericultural Sci. (Jpn). 68(2): 145-155.
Rangaswami, G., Narasimhanna, M.N., Kasiviswanathan, K., Sastry, C.R. & Jolly, M. S. 1976. Manual on sericulture. 1 - Mulberry cultivation. 150 pp.
Zanier, C. 1998. La sericoltura europea di fronte alla sfida asiatica: la ricerca di tecniche e pratiche estremo-orientali (1825-1850). Società e Storia, 11: 23-52.
