ISHS Acta Horticulturae 470: II International Symposium on Pistachios and Almonds
THE MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF ALMOND SEEDLING POPULATIONS IN MOROCCO |
| Authors: | A. Lansari, H. Azoulay, Dale E. Kester |
| Keywords: | Prunus dulcis, genetic variability, breeding, Principal Components |
| Abstract:
Cultivated almond, Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb, is a heterozygous and allogamous species characterised by gametophytic self-incompatibility. Therefore, propagation by seeds will contribute to maximization and maintenance heterozygosity. In Morocco, more than 50% of the total almond acreage is made up of seedlings. Principal Component Analysis of 30 morphological traits measured on 59 seedling genotypes was used to: 1) characterize morphological variability among almonds in 4 different isolated seedling populations, and 2) identify local almond ecotypes. Variability in fruit traits made up much of the large morphological variability observed among the 4 seedling populations. However, under drought stress conditions, some foliar and growth habit traits were more significant in explaining morphological variation within populations. There was no evidence for the existence of local ecotypes among the 4 populations studied. This could be explained by the prevalence of seed propagation which continuously maintains a high degree of heterozygosity within the seedling populations. Genotypes with good nut and kernel characteristics were identified. | |
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