Screening of the superior F1 segregating populations of barberry (Berberis spp.) for cultivation based on phenotypic characterizations

Abstract

Iranian seedless barberry, with a long history in the human diet, is consumed as dried fruit and also has valuable medicinal properties. In the present study, morphological and pomological characters of the F1 interspecific progenies of barberry (Berberis spp.) were evaluated to select superior ones. There were significant variations among the F1 progenies based on the measured characters. Full blooming date ranged from 20 April to 09 May. Fruit ripening date varied from 01 November to 04 December. Besides, 100-fresh berry weight ranged from 9.00–41.00 g with an average of 22.18, while 100-dry berry weight varied from 2.28 to 10.01 g with an average of 5.56. Berry taste was predominantly sour, while very sour, sour-sweet, and sweet tastes were also observed. Berry skin and pulp colors were highly variable, including light orange, bright red, light red, red, crimson, and red-black. Two progenies (0202 and 0205) were seedless, and also in 20 progenies, there was no seed in some berries and only one seed in the rest berries. Principal component analysis (PCA) classified the characters into 21 principal components that could justify 77.74% of the total variance. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) performed with Euclidean distance and Ward’s method divided the progenies into two main clusters based on morphological traits. According to the ideal values of the characters related to fruit quality, including berry weight, berry skin color, berry taste, seedless, and/or small seed, 11 progenies were promising that might be directly cultivated and used in breeding programs.