Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T04:37:30.439Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Morphological characterization of cultivated almonds in Lebanon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2007

Lamis Chalak
Affiliation:
Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box 287 Zahlé, Lebanon
Ali Chehade
Affiliation:
Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box 287 Zahlé, Lebanon
Aline Kadri
Affiliation:
Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, PO Box 287 Zahlé, Lebanon
Get access

Abstract

Introduction. Although almond (Prunus dulcis L.) is one of the most important cultivated fruit trees in Lebanon, cultivated accessions have not yet been inventoried, and the identity of the varieties is unknown. Our study therefore aimed at assessing the genetic diversity of cultivated almonds in Lebanon using morphological characters. Materials and methods. Field surveys were performed in 2002-2003 with the aim of collecting different accessions of cultivated almond trees throughout the country. Thirty-six accessions were characterized in their cultivated habitats by using 20 qualitative and quantitative traits related mainly to the fruit, according to descriptors previously established by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). Results. A large diversity was revealed among accessions, probably due to genetic differences. Based on the qualitative studied traits, the dendogram indicated that most of the accessions were clearly distinguishable and only two cases of synonymy were observed. They have been clustered into three main groups at 0.37 of Jaccard similarity distance. Conclusion. This study needs to be completed by a DNA analysis, in order to highlight the influence of environmental conditions on the variability in the P. dulcis germplasm and to confirm the genetic distances among accessions.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© CIRAD, EDP Sciences, 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Talhouk, S.N., Lubani, R.T., Parmksizian, L.S., Nehme, G.A., Survey and characterization of almond germplasm in Lebanon, Acta Hortic. 470 (1997) 101108.
Grasselly C., Crossa-Raynaud P., L’aman-dier, Ed. Maisonneuve et Larose, Paris, France, 1980, 446 p.
Gülcan R., Descriptor list for almond (Prunus amygdalus), IBPGR, Rome, Italy, 1985, 30 p.
Socias, I., Company, R., Felipe, A.J., Almond: a diverse germplasm, HortScience 27 (1992) 718863.
Socias, I., Company, R., Fruit tree genetics at a turning point: the almond example, Theor. Appl. Genet. 96 (1998) 588601.
Kester D.E., Asay R.N., Almonds, in: Janick J., Moore J.N. (Eds.), Advances in fruit breeding, Purdue Univ. Press, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, 1975, pp. 387–419.
Vargas, F.J., Romero, M.A., Rovira, M., Girona, J., Amélioration de l'amandier par croisement de variétés. Résultats préliminaires à Tarragone (Espagne), Options Méditerr. 1 (1984) 101122.
Kester D.E., Gradziel T.M., Almonds (Prunus), in: Moore J.N., Janick J. (Eds.), Fruit breeding, Wiley & Sons, New York, USA, 1996, pp. 1–97.
Martínez-Gómez, P., Arulsekar, S., Potter, D., Gradziel, T. M., An extended interspecific gene pool available to peach and almond breeding as characterized using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, Euphytica 131 (2003) 313322. CrossRef
Monastra F., Gristafulli A., Marchese F., Ondradu G., Pavia R., Rivalta L., Étude pomologique de 70 variétés d’amandier d’origine différente, Cah. Options Méditerr. Sér. Études II, 1983, 205 p.
Rohlf F.J., NTSY-PC: numerical taxonomy and multivariate analysis system, Exeter software, New York, USA, 1997.
Dirlewanger, E., Duha, S., Viruel, M.A., Saunier, R., Identification of peach varieties using molecular markers, Acta Hortic. 465 (1998) 6977. CrossRef
Plassard J., Atlas climatique du Liban, Minist. Trav. Publics Transp., Serv. Météorol., Obs. Ksara, Tome 1, Beyrouth, Liban, 1981, 45 p.
Browicz, K., Zohary, D., The genus Amygdalus L. (Rosaceae): species relationship, distribution and evolution under domestication, Genet. Resour. Crop Evol. 43 (1996) 229247. CrossRef
Duval, H., Grasselly, C., Behavior of some self-fertile almond selections in the southeast of France, Acta Hortic. 373 (1994) 6974. CrossRef
Grasselly, C., Forty years of almond and its rootstocks breeding, Acta Hortic. 373 (1994) 2933. CrossRef
Talhouk, S.N., Lubani, R.T., Baalbaki, R., Zurayk, R., AlKhatib, A., Parmaksizian, L., Jaradat, A.A., Phenotypic diversity and morphological characterization of Amygdalus L. species in Lebanon, Genet. Resour. Crop Evol. 47 (2000) 93104. CrossRef
Kester D.E., Gradziel T.H., Grasselly C., Almonds (Prunus), in: Moore J.N., Ballingtone J.R. (Eds.), Genetic Resources of Temperate Fruits and Nut Crops II, ISHS, Wageningen, Neth., 1990, pp. 701–758.
Lansari, A., Iezzon, A.F., Kester, D.E., Morphological variation within collections of Moroccan almond accessions and Mediterranean and North American cultivars, Euphytica 78 (1994) 2741.
Testolin, R., Marrazo, T., Cipriani, G., Quarta, R., Verde, I., Dttori, M.T., Pancaldi, M., Sansavini, S., Microsatellite, DNA in peach (Prunus persica L. Batch) and its use in fingerprinting and testing the genetic origin of cultivars, Genome 43 (2000) 512520. CrossRef
Dirlewanger, E., Cosson, P., Tavaud, M., Aranzana, M.J., Poizat, C., Zanetto, A., Arús, P., Laigret, F., Development of microsatellite markers in peach [Prunus persica (L.)] Batsch and their use in genetic diversity analysis in peach and sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.), Theor. Appl. Genet. 105 (2002) 127138.