Analysis of a germplasm collection of loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)

Abstract

A cultivar description of a loquat collection based on morphological traits, phenology and fruit quality is presented. Vegetative characteristics such as leaf blade length and width, leaf blade shape in cross section, thickness and distribution of lateral and central shoots, and size and shape of flower clusters were useful to distinguish cultivars. In this collection we found all categories described by UPOV for fruit characteristics such as size, skin and flesh color, shape in cross and longitudinal section, shape of stalk end of the fruit, shape of apex and calyx cavity, all of them allowed to distinguish cultivars. Flowering time was highly correlated to ripening time and percentage of fruiting spurs. Fruit set was correlated with flower cluster size. Vigor was highly correlated with fruit size and weight, which may be due in part to the method of cultivar selection by growers. Many fruit characteristics that are important to breeders are present in this collection with the exception of very late ripening genotypes. The PCA resulted in three main components that represented fruit size, phenology and quality of fruits respectively.