Morphological diversity of the Turkish apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) germplasm in the Irano-Caucasian ecogeographical group

Abstract

Apricot germplasm collection and characterization are the essential stages of breeding programs for diversity. Traditionally, germplasm collection and characterization are performed by describing phenological, pomological, and morphological characteristics of the germplasm. In this study, 93 apricot accessions and 1 apricot × plum hybrid (Kayisi Eriǧi) were collected from different regions of Turkey and were evaluated for 57 morphological UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants) characteristics, along with 13 pomological traits. Turkish apricot trees were generally found to be either strong (29.8%) or very strong (54.3%). Only 12 accessions (GÜ-52, Çanakkale, Çekirge-52, Karacabey, Geç Aprikoz, Güz Aprikozu, Alyanak, Hasanbey, Alkaya, Paşa Mişmişi, Aǧerik, and Ziraat Okulu) had large fruits. Of the total 93 specimens, 67 accessions did not exhibit kernel bitterness. Important dried cultivars of Turkey contain more than 25% total soluble solids (TSS). The harvest period of the majority (84 accessions) started at the end of June and lasted until mid-July. Principle coordinate analysis (PCoA) and principle component analysis (PCA) revealed that eigenvalues of the first 3 components were able to represent 32.67% of total variance in PCoA and 23.63% of total variance in PCA. The eigenvalue of pomological PCA analysis was able to represent 73% of total variance. Significant negative correlations were determined among fruit juice acidity, TSS, and pH. The morphological distance index between Turkish apricots varied from 0.21 to 0.79. Information revealed in this study may be useful for both breeders and apricot breeding programs.