@article{fdi:010086342,
  title = {{W}hat lies behind a fruit crop variety name ? {A} case study of the barni date palm from al-'{U}la oasis, {S}audi {A}rabia},
  author = {{G}ros-{B}althazard, {M}uriel and {B}attesti, {V}. and {F}lowers, {J}. {M}. and {F}errand, {S}. and {B}reil, {M}. and {I}vorra, {S}. and {T}erral, {J}. {F}. and {P}urugganan, {M}. {D}. and {W}ing, {R}. and {M}ohammed, {N}. and {B}ourgeois, {Y}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{S}ocietal {I}mpact {S}tatement {T}he oasis of al-'{U}la is subject to a vast development operation by the central government of the {S}audi monarchy. {A}griculture is not strictly speaking the first objective of this initiative, the emphasis being on tourism and thus on the vast historical heritage and landscape qualities of the region. {N}evertheless, agriculture and, in particular, phoeniculture remain the main resource for the inhabitants. {C}haracterizing the local date palm agrobiodiversity is key to the sustainable development of oases. {I}n al-'{U}la, documenting indigenous knowledge about the locally predominant barni variety and characterizing its genetic integrity and mode of propagation represents the essential leverage needed by farm development project planners to develop local production. {U}nderstanding how farmers name and categorize their crops in relation to the way they are propagated is critical for a proper assessment of agrobiodiversity. {Y}et, indigenous knowledge is often overlooked in genetic studies, which may result in an underestimation of crop diversity, thereby preventing its conservation and mobilization for developing sustainable agroecosystems. {H}ere, we focus on the barni date palm variety, a local elite variety of al-'{U}la oasis, {S}audi {A}rabia. {W}e conducted an ethnobotanical survey on local phoeniculture practices and generated whole-genome data to determine whether or not barni palms are exclusively clonally (vegetatively) propagated. {F}urther, we contrasted the genomes of barni and two other palms from al-'{U}la with 112 {P}hoenix spp. to provide an initial insight into date palm diversity in this oasis. {T}he survey reveals that the dates of the barni palm bear distinct names, depending on their quality. {R}esults show that barni is a true-to-type cultivar, indicating clonal propagation by offshoots with name maintenance, even between distinct cultivating situations in al-'{U}la and a nearby oasis. {N}onetheless, it is distinct from the prominent barni cultivated in {O}man. {I}ts ancestry is comparable to other {W}est {A}sian date palms, but another palm from this oasis shows influence from {N}orth {A}frica. {W}hat lies behind the cultivar name barni in al-'{U}la and further afield in the {A}rabian {P}eninsula has been deciphered through the key disciplinary combination of social anthropology and genetics. {F}uture studies will provide additional insights into the original genetic make-up of this millennia-old oasis.},
  keywords = {agrobiodiversity ; al-'{U}la oasis ({S}audi {A}rabia) ; date palm ({P}hoenix dactylifera {L}) ; ethnobotany ; indigenous knowledge ; intra-varietal ; genetic variation ; local categorization ; population genetics ; {ARABIE} {SAOUDITE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{P}lants {P}eople {P}lanet},
  volume = {5},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {82--97},
  year = {2023},
  DOI = {10.1002/ppp3.10326},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010086342},
}