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Phenotypic diversity within native Iranian almond (Prunus spp.) species and their breeding potential

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Abstract

A total of 137 accessions from 18 wild almond species were collected from Iran and leaf and fruit traits were characterized. Also evaluated were flowering and ripening date, self-incompatibility and kernel bitterness. An extensive phenotypic diversity was found both among and within species. Differences in average leaf dimensions among and within species were associated with average rainfall but not altitude of collection site. Adjacent accessions located in drier areas had smaller leaf dimensions than those located in semi-humid or humid regions. No relation was found between average fruit dimensions and collection site conditions. Principal component analysis revealed that the nut weight and width, and the kernel weight had highest loading in the first component accounting for 45.8% of total variation. In contrast, leaf traits in the second component accounted for 22.3% of total variation. No significant correlations were detected between leaf dimensions and fruit traits in all species evaluated. Results document a rich source of new germplasm for almond improvement programs. Small fruit size, pollen-pistil self-incompatibility, and bitter kernel flavour are the most common obstacles to the utilization of this wild germplasm in breeding.

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Acknowledgements

The authors offer grateful thanks to Shahrekord University for financial assistance, as well as to the Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center of Shahrekord, and to the Karj collection for access to trees. Thanks are also due to Dr. Ali Vezvaei for helpful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript and H. Hakimei for information assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University, P.O. Box 115, Shahrekord, Iran

    K. Sorkheh, B. Shiran & V. Rouhi

  2. Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University, P.O. Box 115, Shahrekord, Iran

    E. Asadi

  3. Section of Natural Resources, Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center of Shahrekord, P.O. Box 88155-415, Shahrekord, Iran

    H. Jahanbazi

  4. Section of Horticulture, Agriculture and Natural Resources Research Center of Shahrekord, P.O. Box 88155-415, Shahrekord, Iran

    H. Moradi

  5. Department of Plant Science, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    T. M. Gradziel

  6. Department of Plant Breeding, CEBAS-CSIC, P.O. Box 164, 30100, Espinardo, Murcia, Spain

    P. Martínez-Gómez

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  1. K. Sorkheh
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  2. B. Shiran
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  5. H. Jahanbazi
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  7. T. M. Gradziel
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  8. P. Martínez-Gómez
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Correspondence to P. Martínez-Gómez.

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Sorkheh, K., Shiran, B., Rouhi, V. et al. Phenotypic diversity within native Iranian almond (Prunus spp.) species and their breeding potential. Genet Resour Crop Evol 56, 947–961 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-009-9413-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-009-9413-7

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