Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
M.Sc. Student, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.
2
Associate Professor, Horticulture Department, Faculty of crop production, Gorgan, University of agricultural sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.
3
Associate Professor, Horticulture Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.
4
Associate Professor, Research Division of Seed and Plant, Yazd Agricultural and Natural Resource Research and Education Center, AREEO, Yazd, Iran.
5
Expert, Horticultural Sciences Laboratory, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.
10.30466/rip.2021.53557.1178
Abstract
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is one of the most important native fruits of Iran. In this study, the physicochemical and morphological characteristics of wild pomegranate samples collected from natural populations in Yazd, Miankaleh Peninsula, and Behshahr, as well as domesticated samples obtained from standard orchards in Firuzkooh, Sari, and Khalil Shahr, were evaluated. Fourteen wild and sixteen domesticated genotypes were examined in a completely randomized design with four replications. Significant differences were observed in several traits, including the weight of 100 arils, aril length and width, anthocyanin content of peel and juice, spongy tissue weight, soluble solids percentage, vitamin C content, titratable acidity, taste index, flavonoid content, antioxidant capacity, and total phenol content. The most pronounced differences in taste index, as well as fruit length, diameter, and volume, were found among wild genotypes. Analysis of variance showed that all traits, except peel weight and total sugar content, exhibited significant differences (p ≤ 0.01), indicating substantial variation among the genotypes. Factor analysis grouped the evaluated traits into seven factors, which together explained 93.90% of the total variance. Traits related to leaf width, aril length and width, weight of the first and second sets of 100 arils, and juice volume of these arils were loaded on the first factor. The second factor included fruit length, width, diameter, weight, and volume, as well as peel weight, spongy tissue weight, and peel anthocyanin content. Cluster analysis using Ward’s method classified the genotypes into two main groups at a Euclidean distance of 25. Overall, wild and domesticated pomegranate samples displayed notable differences in sugar-to-acid ratio, spongy tissue percentage, juice volume per 100 arils, aril dimensions, juice electrical conductivity, and anthocyanin content.
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