Project

Valerianella’s variety: investigating genetic variation in Lamb’s lettuce

Lamb's lettuce (Valerianella locusta) is a much-loved leafy vegetable. It is supposed to have a narrow genetic diversity, making it more difficult to breed for cultivars that can cope with diverse environmental stresses. To increase resilience, the genetic profile in lamb’s lettuce can potentially be enriched with input from wild germplasm. The objective of this study is to explore the extent of intraspecific variation among cultivars and wild accessions of V. locusta, as well as to examine the interspecific variation among various related wild Valerianella species.