Abstract
In this study, 24 traditional almond cultivars grown in the central-western Iberian Peninsula, all of them clearly in decline or close to extinction, were characterized from the agromorphological and chemical points of view. A total of 40 agromorphological and chemical descriptors, mainly defined by the IPGRI and the UPOV, were used to describe the flowers, leaves, fruits and the trees themselves over three consecutive years (2015–2017). Some of the cultivars showed distinctive and interesting agronomical characteristics from a commercial point of view, such as high yields and high quality fruit. This was the case of the almond cultivars called “Gorda José” and “Marcelina”. Their fruits were quite heavy (nuts: >9.1 g; kernels: >1.9 g), with very low percentages of double kernels (<3%) and high nutritional value (>50% lipids; >21% proteins). The results of the PCA and cluster analysis showed that agromorphological and chemical analysis can provide reliable information on the variability in almond genotypes. This work constitutes an important step in the conservation of genetic almond resources in the central-western Iberian Peninsula.
Highlights
The objective of the present study was to survey, identify and characterize from the agromorphological and nutritional points of view the traditional almond cultivars existing in the central-western region of the Iberian Peninsula in order to avoid their disappearance and so that they can be included in future almond breeding programs
The traditional almond cultivars from the central-western Iberian Peninsula showed great variability from an agromorphological point of view
Principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that more than 54% of the variability observed was explained by the first three components
Summary
P. amygdalus (L.) Batsch, Rosaceae, 2n = 2x = 16) is one of the oldest and most important nut crops grown commercially worldwide. It originated in the arid mountainous regions of southwestern and central. Asia [1] and spread rapidly towards the Mediterranean Basin via seeds carried by caravans along the old Silk Route [2]. The almond is cultivated for its edible seed (the kernel), which is used for direct consumption and for almond-based products and confections [3,4].
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