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Characterization and Evaluation of Some Local Genotypes and Accessions of Almond, Prunus amygdalus L. | General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research
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Characterization and Evaluation of Some Local Genotypes and Accessions of Almond, Prunus amygdalus L.

Talal Saleem Al-Fozo
General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research-
Homs Research Center
Faculty of Agriculture, University of  Tishreen
2010

Abstract

Almond (P. amygdalus L.) is a crop of major importance due to its nutritional, medical and economical values locally and globally. In Syria, almond occupies a prominent rank among the fruit trees. This research was curried out during 2008-2009 in order to characterise and evaluate 16 local accessions and introduced cultivars of almonds. Field trials of this study were conducted at almond gene bank of Homs Agricultural Research Center, while the laboratory experiments have been executed at both Homs and Aleppo Agricultural Research Centers.
The obtained results of morphological and phonological studies were categorized. The most accessions and varieties grown at the genetic bank were relatively late in blooming, which protected them from the risk of spring frost. Accessions included 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 112 and cultivar Flornbas, while the accession number 111 and cultivars Klozado and Princess were very late in their blooming time. Also, the kernel percentage of local and introduced varieties were found different which ranged from (22.73%) in the accession 102 to (41.24%) in the cultivar Princess with a difference of (18.51%) and this resulted in an increase in the production of nuts. There was no duplication of the nuts found in accession 106 and both cultivars Klozado and Flornbas in which, generally, the duplication of the nuts is commercially undesired.
In addition, the results revealed a negative correlation between shell-cracking strength and kernel percentage, where the more increase in kernel percentage the less strength in shell-cracking, as in princess (41.24%) while very strong as in 102 (22.73%). The kernel production was very good in accessions 102,106,107,108,110 and good in both accessions 101 and 104 and Flornbas, Fersil, Princess and Klozado cultivars, and less in accessions 109 and 111. Moreover, it was found a slight difference in the number of sepals and petals of some accessions 102,104,105,107,108,110,112 and cultivars Klozado and Flornbas which reached the value of (5.1). Morphological studies of the pollen grains indicated that pollen grains of all tested accessions and cultivars have three dimensional patterns and ellipsoidal shapes. Morphological and quantitative characteristics of pollen grains showed a very narrow taxonomical convergence between pollen grains of those accessions and cultivars
Upon studying the phenomenon of self-incompatibility in the genotypes and accessions, the results indicated that accessions 101, 108, 110 are completely self-sterile and therefore can not be self-pollinated within the flower, hence free pollination is the only way that lead the flowers to give fruit-sets and then form the nuts. The biological characteristics of the pollen grains show that accession 102 gave the highest percentage germination of pollen grains, while accessions 102.107 and two varieties Fersil and Klozado were giving the highest fertility factor. The differences between local accessions and introduced cultivars in the vitality of pollen grains ranged from (95.05%) for accession 103 to (82.33%) for accession 105.
This study results also showed a difference in the proportion of oil and protein between tested accessions, where the accession 112 produced the highest proportion of oil (52%) and protein (24.16%), while accession 109 was less in the percentages of oil (37.33%) and protein (17,720%).
In order to identify the chromosomal model and studying the nucleic type of accessions and genotypes almonds, a chromosomal study was conducted on the somatic cells at the equatorial phase of indirect division after seed germination and mirestem-root isolation, the chromosomal formula were identified into three groups according to the genetic divergence or convergence among accessions and cultivars as follows:
-*First group is: 2sm + 14m = 16 = 2n included local accessions 104, 111 and 112 and cultivars Flornbas, Braniss, Klozarro.
-*Second Group is: 4sm + 12m = 16 = 2n included accessions 102, 103, 105 and 106.
-*Third Group is: 6sm + 10m = 16 = 2n, accessions included 101,107,108,109 and 110 and cultivar fersil.
Genetic identification of the chromosome types of the tested accessions and cultivars varied in terms of quantity and quality (length and type of chromosome, IAs%, R=GC/PC, ….). It was found that almond chromosomes were characterized by two types of chromosomes only (i.e. chromosome has either central or sub-central point).
Keywords: Almond, characterization, evaluation, pollination and fertilization, germination, pollen grains, fertility factor, oil and protein, and chromosomes.

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