Sorbus domestica in Italy: Traditional Uses and Present Knowledge

Service tree (Sorbus domestica ) has been a quite popular fruit and wood plant in Italy, particularly in the warmer areas. Presently the species is neglected and there is a lack of information about diffusion and conditions of the old plants once cultivated. The exploration of study areas from the Emilia Romagna Appennines to the Sicilian Monti Nebrodi, started in order to acquire information on the state of conservation of plants and uses. In the northern area the plants are generally rare; a revival of fruit use is carried out in some villages, by the promotion of old and new processed products (liqueurs, jams). In Molise service tree is still maintained and the traditional uses of the fruit are well remembered, but not applied anymore; the survival of the plants relies more on the very traditional kind of agriculture. Sorbus domestica is still cultivated at the base of Monte Somma and Vesuvius, where it is a quite important component of old mixed orchards in fields traditionally and extensively cultivated or almost abandoned. The number of trees is declining, but is still higher than in the rest of Italy; the memory of varietal names is still preserved and some cultural practices (pruning, fertilization, soil management) are applied to the plants. In Campania and Sicily the commercial exploitation of the product takes place. The pomological characterization and the analysis of nutritional components of the fruits (soluble sugars, organic acids, polyphenols) at different stages of ripening has been carried out in order to find the knowledge basis of traditional uses and to understand the future potential of this fruit tree in unconventional models of fruit growing.