Malus orientalis Uglitzk., an important genetic resource to improve domestic apples: characterization and selection of the promising accessions

Abstract

Malus orientalis Uglitzk. is considered as one of the probable ancestors of domestic apples (M. × domestica) and has valuable traits such as late-blooming, adaptation to a wider array of habitats, and capacity for longer storage of the fruits. In the present investigation, morphological and pomological characteristics of M. orientalis were evaluated. Results showed significant differences among the accessions in terms of the recorded traits. Leaf length ranged from 38.56 to 101.36 mm and leaf width varied from 20.27 to 45.31 mm. Fruit length ranged from 14.69 to 39.98 mm, while fruit width varied from 22.16 to 47.39 mm. Fruits weighted between 4.76 and 36.32 g with an average of 15.28. Fruit weight showed positive and significant correlations with dimensions of leaf and fruit. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that fruit-related characteristics were more important in explaining the variation among the accessions. The dendrogram generated using Ward’s method and Euclidean distance showed that the accessions were placed into two major clusters. The dissimilarity level in terms of morphological and pomological characteristics showed a wide range of phenotypic diversity, allowing the effective selection of parents in various breeding programs, referring to fruit quality and high yield. The current findings confirmed that conservation of M. orientalis genetic resources is important for future breeding programs.