Phenological and Pomological Characteristics of Rosa canina L. Species Cultivated and Naturally Distributed in Amasya Province

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the phenological and pomological characteristics of R. canina species cultivated and naturally distributed in Amasya province. Rosa canina is one of the important plants distributed worldwide and used in food, medicine, raw materials, and landscaping. The research was carried out in 2022 using cultivated and naturally growing rosehip plants and their fruits in Suluova (Bayırlı Village and Yüzbeyi Village) and Taşova (Esençay Village and Kırkharman Village) districts of Amasya province. The phenological characteristics of the species were observed between April and December. The height (cm), average crown width (cm), and number of branches were measured from north-south and east-west directions of the natural and cultivated rosehip species; the number of fruits and fruit weight of the fruits sampled from 10 individuals were measured by weighing them on a precision balance. The thorniness of the natural and cultivated rosehip plants selected in each location in the study was scored as Very; 3, Moderate; 7, Less; 10. According to the findings, the most significant difference between naturally grown rosehip and cultivated rosehip plants in terms of phenological periods is the ripening time of the fruits. Plant height varied between 180.10±11.94 -78.00±8.45 in cultivated R. canina species and between 119.50±56.34 and 89.00±50.43 in wild species. Crown width ranged between 288.90±12.35 cm and 89.40±2.23 cm in cultivated individuals and between 146.10±7.38 cm and 123.20±7.30 cm in wild species. The number of branches was found between 14.70±4.39 and 6.20±1.22 in cultivated individuals and between 11.20±4.36 and 8.70±5.81 in wild individuals. The study, it was observed that the thorniness was low or moderate in all cultivated rosehip plants. Fruit weight, fruit diameter, and fruit length ranged between 2.29±0.18 and 1.97±0.28; 14.27±0.64 and 12.93±0.59; 20.27±0.80 and 20.10±1.42 in wild R. canina individuals, respectively. In cultivated R. canina species, fruit weight, fruit diameter, and fruit length ranged from 3.48±0.12 to 2.61±0.28; 17.21±0.85 to 15.53±0.97; 26.65±0.85 to 20.16±0.72, respectively. Fruit weight and fruit diameter of cultivated and wild rose hips were statistically different in different locations.