CHARACTERIZATION OF NEWLY INTRODUCED POMEGRANATE VARIETIES

Abstract

The paper is focused on examining and selecting morphometric indicators of leaves and flowers from genotypes within the collection of the pomegranate varieties. The research was carried out on 6 varieties of pomegranate plants, collected and introduced from diverse ecological and geographical regions. The objective was to collect, cultivate and assess the technological features of pomegranate varieties and forms. The morphometric characteristics of generative and vegetative organs from the “Malas” and “Kirmizi Gazyan” varieties were studied for the first time. Observation of pomegranate flower petals revealed that different sizes could be found in both long toothed (LT), middle toothed (MT) and short-toothed (ShT) flowers, suggesting petal size is not determined by flower type. The difference between the leaves of these two varieties was found to be insignificant. Flower diameter showed variability across all three types of flowers. The biological and economic significance of the newly developed form F-6-8 and the varieties “Malta”, “Oleg” and “Devachi” was also assessed. “F-6-8” and “Malta” are sweet varieties, while “Oleg” and “Devachi” are sweet and sour varieties. “Malta” was distinguished by its fruit weight (380.4 g), thin skin (2.5 g) and high juice yield (50.4%).