Phenological and pomological characterization of Argania spinosa (L.) to select promising trees for breeding program
Published 2020-12-30
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Abstract
The agro-morphological characterization is crucial in order to provide information for plant breeding programs. The goal of the present study was to determine phenotypic diversity and to detect superior trees. Six hundred and eightieth genotypes of argan tree (Argania spinosa (L,) Skeels) were characterized by using qualitative and quantitative agro-morphological traits. Majority studied characteristics were showing a high degree of variability, but it was highly pronounced for fruit-spine, branches number, trunk diameter and first leaf height. A significant correlation was found among some evaluated variables. The principal component analysis for quantitative traits showed that four components explained 65% of the total variation and revealed that traits related to fruits, leaves, tree display and trunk diameter contribute for a large proportion of the observed variability. The results indicated that most of genotypes can be considered a good gene pool for breeding programs and rootstock development programs. More, they could be useful as a parent to be crossed to generating appropriate populations or improve cultivars.