Preliminary Evaluation of Pomological Characteristics of 29 Selected Apricot Genotypes in Karaj Climate Conditions

Document Type : Full Paper

Authors

• Naser Bouzari ¹
• Saeid Alizadeh ²
• Siamak Kalantari ³

¹ Temperate and Cold Fruits Research Institute (TCFRI), Horticulture Science Research Institute, Karaj, Iran

² Department of Horticulture, Karaj Branch of Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran

³ Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

Abstract

Keywords

• Apricot
• Genetic diversity
• Fruit weight
• Total soluble solids
• Cluster analysis
• Correlation coefficient

Main Subjects

• Fruit Science

Extended Abstract

Introduction

    The continuous propagation of apricot through sexual reproduction, which has led to a great genetic diversity, has caused Iran to have diverse, desired and rich apricot germplasm. According to high genetic diversity in the Iranian apricot population, the first step in cultivar breeding is the pomological assessment of population and identification of the superior genotypes.

Materials and Methods

To evaluate the superior apricot genotypes in Karaj climate, some of quantitative traits including fruit weight, fruit dry weight, fruit length, kernel weight, lateral fruit width, TSS, pH, ventral fruit width and 20 fruit qualitative traits including beginning of flowering, symmetry in ventral view, shape in ventral and lateral views, fruit suture line, shape of apex, presence of mucron, skin pubescence, ground color, relative area of over color, hue index of exocarpe color, pattern of over color, intensity of over color, adherence of stone to flesh, stone shape in lateral view, kernel bitterness, firmness of flesh, fruit size, beginning of fruit ripening of the 29 apricot genotypes were evaluated based on a randomized complete block design (RCBD) during two consecutive years, 2016-2017.

Results and Discussion

The results showed a high genetic diversity in the studied apricot population in terms of morphological and pomological characteristics. The highest fruit weight was recorded in the Shahroud-43(51.57 g) and Shahroud-50 (50.85 g), while the lowest fruit weight was recorded in the Shahroud-42 (15.77 g) and Shahroud-48a (13.90 g) genotypes, respectively. The genotypes Shahroud-50, Shahroud-32, Shahroudi, and Shahroud-15 showed the longest fruit length. The results obtained from the cluster analysis of different cultivars and genotypes led to the 5 different clusters of genotypes, among which Shahroud 43, Shahroud 50, Shahroud 12 and Shahroud 46 genotypes were separated from other genotypes. In addition, the highest amount of total soluble solids was measured in Shahroud-13, Nasiri and Ghorban-Maraghe genotypes. Moorpark and Shams cultivars also had the highest pH of fruit juice. Based on the obtained results, Shahroud-39, Shahroud-50, Shahroud-58, Shahroud-49 and Shahroudi cultivars and genotypes were introduced as suitable genotypes for use as fresh fruits due to the large fruit size and weight, and the desirable appearance of the fruit. The studied genotypes were classified into 5 different groups in terms of some characteristics, such as the time of starting flowering (from very early to late flowering) and also the time of fruit ripening.

Conclusion

Comparing the studied cultivars and genotypes based on the average weight and sugar percentage of the fruits revealed that certain cultivars such as Shahroud 47, 58, 37 and 43 which exhibit soluble solids ranging from 21.35 to 24.02% and average weight ranging from 35.43 to 51.57 g can be introduced for fruit processing. It is comparable to the most important introduced and commercial varieties of the country for processing, such as Nasiri with a weight of 31.79 grams and soluble solids of 24.87%.