Apricot Cultivation Research Articles

Monitoring Fruit Growth and Development in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) through Gene Expression Analysis.

The main objective of this study was to monitor apricot development and ripening through gene expression analysis of key candidate genes using the RT-qPCR technique. Eight apricot cultivars were selected to analyze phenological and genetic patterns from pre-ripening stages through to postharvest. In addition, 19 selected genes were analyzed in the contrasting cultivars 'Cebas Red' and 'Rojo Pasión' in different stages (two preharvest stages S1 and S2, one harvest stage S3, and two postharvest stages S4 and S5). This pool of genes included genes related to fruit growth and ripening, genes associated with fruit color, and genes linked to the fruit's nutraceutical aspects. Among the studied genes, Polygalacturonase (PG), Pectin methylesterase (PME), Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACS), and Myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase (INO1) were directly related to fruit maturation and quality. Significant differential expression was observed between the cultivars, which correlated with variations in firmness, shelf life, and sensory characteristics of the apricots. 'Rojo Pasión' displayed high levels of PG, associated with rapid maturation and shorter postharvest shelf life, whereas 'Cebas Red' exhibited lower levels of this gene, resulting in greater firmness and extended shelf life. Genes CCD4, CRTZ, and ZDS, related to carotenoids, showed varied expression patterns during growth and postharvest stages, with higher levels in 'Rojo Pasión'. On the other hand, Sucrose synthase (SUSY) and Lipoxygenase (LOX2) were prominent during the postharvest and growth stages, respectively. Additionally, GDP-L-galactose phosphorylase (VTC2_5) was linked to better postharvest performance. This research provides valuable insights for future breeding initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality and sustainability of apricot cultivation.

Regulated Deficit Irrigation Perspectives for Water Efficiency in Apricot Cultivation: A Review

Addressing agricultural water scarcity poses a current challenge of growing concern, exacerbated by climate change. This is particularly relevant for stone fruit trees, such as apricot, cultivated in semi-arid zones, where regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategies are gaining attention to tackle the challenge. The RDI method involves optimizing various factors based on how the plant responds physiologically to indicators of its water needs. Among these indicators, water potential is considered the most reliable and influential measure. For numerous apricot varieties and diverse geographic locations, research consistently shows that implementing water reduction strategies during non-critical developmental stages of floral bud development or fruit growth does not significantly impact crop yield. However, it does lead to reduced vegetative growth, which could offer additional benefits in crop management. Furthermore, the implementation of RDI strategies leads to advantageous improvements in fruit quality, particularly storage capacity and morphometric and chemical fruit characteristics, such as total soluble solids content. This scoping review study suggests that RDI is a feasible strategy to address water scarcity in apricot cultivation; however, further studies focused on continuous water monitoring alternatives are necessary to optimize RDI techniques. Future research should prioritize optimizing RDI for different growth stages, exploring advanced technologies for precise implementation, and assessing environmental impacts, while addressing research gaps including the influence of climate variability and the interaction with other agronomic practices, to refine RDI strategies and enhance apricot orchard sustainability and productivity.

Frost hardiness of flower buds of 16 apricot cultivars during dormancy

ABSTRACT The effectiveness of apricot cultivation is greatly threatened by frost damage to flower buds during the dormancy period. One of the most important aspects of the evaluation of cultivars is therefore the determination of their frost tolerance. In this paper, the frost hardiness of flower buds of 16 apricot cultivars was investigated in three dormancy periods, applying a standardised artificial freezing test protocol and determining LT50 values. The results showed that both the genotypes and the yearly climatic conditions had a significant effect on frost tolerance. A genotype generally determines the potential maximum of its frost tolerance (‘Sweet Red’ and ‘Primaya’ were very sensitive to frost every year, while ‘Harlayne’ and ‘Rózskajszi C.1406’ could be considered as frost hardy). Flower buds can reach different levels of frost resistance each year depending on the temperature conditions during the hardening and dehardening periods. From the point of view of yield security, it is essential when planning an orchard, to take into account and harmonise the frost hardiness of the cultivars selected and the growing site conditions. Therefore, it is very important to have adequate information about the frost hardiness of different apricot cultivars, which should be included in cultivar descriptions. This paper is intended to contribute to this goal.

In vitro evaluation of apricot cultivars response to Pseudomonas syringae pathovars: Image processing as an alternative method

Turkey, with an apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) production amount of 833,398 tons per year, ranks first in fresh apricot production and dried apricot export in the world. Malatya, Iğdır, and Elazığ with amounts of apricot production constitute the main apricot production centers in Turkey. Many table and dried apricot cultivars have been grown in Turkey. Economically important apricot cultivars such as cv.Şalak (or Aprikoz), cv.Tebereze, cv.Ordubat, cv.Ağcanabat, and cv.Ağerik are widely grown in the Aras Valley, including Iğdır and Kağızman. In this study, DNA barcoding of local cultivars based on the ITS region was performed and their distribution was shown in the Aras Valley. The reactions of these apricot cultivars to the causal agents of bacterial canker, which negatively affect the yield and quality of apricot cultivation, were also determined. Alternative methods such as image-processing technology and CHAID analysis have also been successfully used for cultivar reaction tests. It was determined that "cv.Şalak" is the most common apricot cultivar in the Aras Valley. In addition, the Ağcanabat cultivar was sensitive to the causal agents of disease, and other local apricot cultivars were tolerant to it.

Efficacy of Insecticides against the Invasive Apricot Aphid, Myzus mumecola.

The invasive apricot aphid (Myzus mumecola Matsumura) is an important pest of apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca L.). In the presented study, laboratory bioassays using treated leaf disks of apricot were conducted to test the efficacy of twelve insecticides according to the maximum field dose. Additionally, dose-response curves were established for selected insecticides, and the effects on colony development were evaluated. Furthermore, a field trial was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of commonly used insecticides in apricot cultivation. The dose-response curves showed LC50 values ranging from 0.08 mg/L for flupyradifurone, 0.15 mg/L for acetamiprid, 0.70 mg/L for etofenprox, 1.89 mg/L for sulfoxaflor, 2.64 mg/L for pirimicarb, 3.97 mg/L for deltamethrin, up to 6.79 mg/L for tau-fluvalinate. These aforementioned insecticides resulted in mortality rates ranging from 95 to 100% at the field dose. Azadirachtin, flonicamid, and pyrethrins showed mortality rates of 27 to 45%. Spirotetramat reduced the colony development and decreased the number of infested shoots by 86%. Spinosad, which is not recommended against aphids, showed minimal impact; reducing the number of exuviae in nymphs in the colony development bioassay. It can be concluded that the majority of the tested insecticides are effective against M. mumecola.

Effect of Different Hormones Concentration on In vitro Regeneration of Apricot Cultivars

The use of modern breeding methods along with appropriate cultivation techniques facilitates the acquisition and multiplication of varieties that possess the desired characteristics. Therefore, efforts towards the in vitro propagation of woody plants are increasing day by day. Today, plants such as Malus, Prunus, Pyrus, Ribes, Rubus, etc., can be successfully propagated in vitro. Apricot stands out as a stubborn species among Prunus types for shoot regeneration and genetic transformation. In this context, this study aims to determine how different plant growth regulators affect shoot regeneration of some native apricot varieties, which hold significant importance in apricot cultivation in our country. In the conducted study, mature cotyledons of Kabaaşı, Hacıhaliloğlu, and Hasanbey apricot varieties were used along with the culture medium consisting of MS. Different doses and ratios of plant growth regulators, including BAP and TDZ, in combination with NAA and GA3, were added to the culture media. At the end of the in vitro study, the callus and primordium formation rate (%), bud and shoot formation rate (%) and number of shoots per explant were recorded. According to the results, the variety with the highest callus formation was Kabaaşı, followed by Hasanbey and Hacıhaliloğlu. In all three varieties, the rate of callus formation decreased in media containing GA3. Regarding the stage of shoot regeneration from callus, the highest shoot formation with an average of 4 shoots per explant was observed in the Kabaaşı variety in the TDZ (1.0 mgL-1) + NAA (0.25 mgL-1) and TDZ (1.0 mgL-1) + NAA (0.50 mgL-1) media. Looking at the other varieties, the highest number of shoots, 1.6 shoots per explant, was obtained from the TDZ (2.0 mgL-1) + NAA (0.25 mgL-1) medium in Hasanbey and Hacıhaliloğlu varieties. As a result of the findings, the Kabaaşı variety showed the best result in terms of the regeneration capacity of apricot varieties. In contrast the best regeneration medium was obtained from the combinations of TDZ and NAA.

Morphometric Properties Comparison of Some Turkish and Foreign Apricot Variety Grown at High Altitude

Apricots are becoming more preferred because of their usage in the fresh, dried, and processing industries and are appreciated by consumers for their pleasant flavor, aroma, and high nutritional value. Apricot cultivation is mostly performed by native varieties in Turkey, and there is insufficient knowledge about the characteristics of foreign varieties. In this study, important Turkish and foreign varieties were evaluated according to their morphological properties using multivariate analyses. The highest fruit weight was detected as 31.90 g (Sakıt-2) in the Turkish varieties and detected 22.36 g (Precoce de Colomer) in the foreign varieties. The highest fruit height, thickness, stone height, and weight were detected in ‘Alyanak’ and ‘Sakıt-2’ the Turkish apricot varieties. The ‘Soğancı’ and ‘Sakıt-2’ were characterized by the highest stone thickness, pH, fruit height, and weight in Turkish varieties, whereas ‘Precoce de Tyrinthe’ had the highest total soluble solids in the foreign varieties. The correlation analysis demonstrated significant positive correlations between examined features in Turkish and foreign varieties. In the principal component analysis, the first five components elucidated 93.59% of the total variance. Examined traits were separated into three groups, and ‘Sakıt-2’, ‘Alyanak’, ‘Hasanbey’, and ‘Hacihaliloğlu’ at the Turkish varieties were placed in the first two groups and characterized by fruit and stone traits, while the foreign varieties formed the other group and were characterize by pH, TSS, and colorimetric traits. The study put forward useful information for the comparison of morphometric traits between Turkish and foreign varieties, and the results can be used in future apricot breeding programs.

Biochemical Characterization of Traditional Varieties of Apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.) of the Campania Region, Southern Italy.

Campania is the most important region of Italy in the apricot cultivation, present mostly in the Vesuvio area. At least to the best of our knowledge, no studies are reporting the biochemical characterization of the considerable number of traditional apricot varieties present on this territory, including the qualitative and quantitative profile of the polyphenols present. Our work evaluated the content of β-carotene, total phenolics, phenolic profiles, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity of 23 traditional varieties of apricots of the Campania region. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted that, in the two main groups, the antioxidant activity was strongly affected by the content of ascorbic acid (−0.89), or slightly affected by the content of total polyphenols (−0.67), respect to the content of ascorbic acid (−0.55), never by β-carotene. Chlorogenic acid (up to 55.07 μg g−1) and catechin (up to 96.15 μg g−1) resulted the most abundant polyphenols recognized through the chromatographic analysis. PCA, extended to the polyphenol profile, confirmed the distribution of the varieties in two large groups, evidencing once again the hierarchical distance of four varieties (“Panzona”, “Paolona” “Baracca” and “Boccucia Eboli”) compared to the others.

Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci Associated With Graft (In)Compatibility in Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.).

Graft incompatibility (GI) between the most popular Prunus rootstocks and apricot cultivars is one of the major problems for rootstock usage and improvement. Failure in producing long-leaving healthy grafts greatly affects the range of available Prunus rootstocks for apricot cultivation. Despite recent advances related to the molecular mechanisms of a graft-union formation between rootstock and scion, information on genetic control of this trait in woody plants is essentially missing because of a lack of hybrid crosses, segregating for the trait. In this study, we have employed the next-generation sequencing technology to generate the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and construct parental linkage maps for an apricot F1 population “Moniqui (Mo)” × “Paviot (Pa)” segregating for ability to form successful grafts with universal Prunus rootstock “Marianna 2624”. To localize genomic regions associated with this trait, we genotyped 138 individuals from the “Mo × Pa” cross and constructed medium-saturated genetic maps. The female “Mo” and male “Pa” maps were composed of 557 and 501 SNPs and organized in eight linkage groups that covered 780.2 and 690.4 cM of genetic distance, respectively. Parental maps were aligned to the Prunus persica v2.0 genome and revealed a high colinearity with the Prunus reference map. Two-year phenotypic data for characters associated with unsuccessful grafting such as necrotic line (NL), bark and wood discontinuities (BD and WD), and an overall estimate of graft (in)compatibility (GI) were collected for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on both parental maps. On the map of the graft-compatible parent “Pa”, two genomic regions on LG5 (44.9–60.8 cM) and LG8 (33.2–39.2 cM) were associated with graft (in)compatibility characters at different significance level, depending on phenotypic dataset. Of these, the LG8 QTL interval was most consistent between the years and supported by two significant and two putative QTLs. To our best knowledge, this is the first report on QTLs for graft (in)compatibility in woody plants. Results of this work will provide a valuable genomic resource for apricot breeding programs and facilitate future efforts focused on candidate genes discovery for graft (in)compatibility in apricot and other Prunus species.

Improving the adaptability of apricot to abiotic environmental factors

As a result of many years of breeding work on interspecific and intersortial hybridization in the Samara region, 9 apricot varieties were created and submitted for state testing, of which 4 varieties were entered into the state register of the Russian Federation. In the organic dormancy phase, apricot trees of these hybrids have high frost resistance of wood and flowering buds. Favorable microzones for apricot cultivation were determined, the productivity of varieties was studied, and the fruit quality was assessed. Of the 8 years of observing apricot, six years were fruitful. Two years of harvest was absent due to freezing of flower buds from the onset of frost after prolonged thaws. Samarskij (32.2 kg from a tree), Vnuchok (43.4 kg) and Elita No. 1 (24.9 kg) sorts have high productivity. Ripening dates, weight and taste of apricot fruits depend on the variety, air temperature and the amount of precipitation. Large fruits are possessed by new varieties Avdeevskij, Andryushka, Andryushka, Bojcovyj, Seyanec Voenkomovskij. The best tastes were of the varieties Andryushka, Bojcovyj, Seyanec Voenkomovskij, Trofej (tasting score 4.5 points).

ОЦЕНКА АГРОКЛИМАТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСУРСОВ АНАПО-ТАМАНСКОЙ ПОДЗОНЫ ЮЖНОЙ ПЛОДОВОЙ ЗОНЫ КРАСНОДАРСКОГО КРАЯ И ПРОВИНЦИИ ГИЛЬМЕНД РЕСПУБЛИКИ АФГАНИСТАН С ЦЕЛЬЮ ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЯ ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ВОЗДЕЛЫВАНИЯ АБРИКОСА

ОЦЕНКА АГРОКЛИМАТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСУРСОВ АНАПО-ТАМАНСКОЙ ПОДЗОНЫ ЮЖНОЙ ПЛОДОВОЙ ЗОНЫ КРАСНОДАРСКОГО КРАЯ И ПРОВИНЦИИ ГИЛЬМЕНД РЕСПУБЛИКИ АФГАНИСТАН С ЦЕЛЬЮ ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЯ ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ ВОЗДЕЛЫВАНИЯ АБРИКОСА

Forty-year investigations on apricot blooming: Evidences of climate change effects

Current climate change negatively impacts on key seasonal biological processes of perennial plants causing erratic productions and, consequently, significant yield reductions. Being flowering time of fruit crops one of the most widely used indicators for climate change studies, the present research aimed to assess, over a long-term period (1973–2016), the climatic trend and its influence on blooming date and intensity of 40 apricot cultivars (Prunus armeniaca L.) grown in central Italy. Over the autumn-spring seasons, the main climatic parameters (temperature, rainfall) were acquired, and calculation of chill accumulation according to the Chilling Units model (CU) was performed. Results showed significant trends in warming of autumn-winter monthly minimum and average temperatures, particularly since the 1990s. During the critical period for overcoming of flower bud endodormancy, a dramatic loss of CUs was recorded. Most of the examined cultivars, belonging to Italian and foreign germplasm and opportunely selected for different flowering time, showed important blooming delays and blooming intensity decreases. In particular, the early-blooming cultivars showed the highest average shift of around 12 days and a loss in blooming intensity score which fell to levels of around 50% with respect to previous periods. The CUs, negatively correlated with blooming time and positively correlated with blooming intensity, seem to be crucial for apricot floral biology. The irregular autumn-winter cold rate of recent years may mean that substantial impacts can be expected in the future with possible geographic shifts of the apricot cultivation areas towards more potentially suitable areas located in the northern Italian and European regions, with considerable socioeconomic inference.

Protected cultivation of apricot in Liaoning province, China

With economic development and changes in lifestyle, demands for fruit quality, safety, diversity, and health care are increasing significantly. Seasonal fruits are insufficient to meet the needs of consumers. Therefore, fruit production in the slack season is gaining increasing attention. At present, protected cultivation of fruit in Liaoning province, covering an area of 30,000 ha, with an annual output of 550,000 t, gives priority to strawberry, grapes, and peach. In addition, it is supplemented by plum, apricot, sweet cherry, and blueberry. Distinct features, including regional advantage and strong core competitiveness, have provided great development potential for protected cultivation of fruits. Protected cultivation of fruits has become a new growth spot in efficient fruit production in Liaoning province. Protected cultivation of fruit was developed early in Liaoning province. Related research work has made significant progress and laid the foundation for industrial development. However, some problems persist, such as non-standardized operation, production instability, poor quality, and uneven benefits, which restrict the development of protected cultivation of fruits. In order to guarantee and improve the economic benefits and broad market prospects of protected apricot cultivation, suitable apricot cultivars and related techniques need to be developed with the ultimate aim of promoting health development in protected cultivation of apricot. Two apricot cultivars, 'Guozhixian' and 'Moorpark', were introduced in the present study, with a set of cultivation techniques including early setting, planting, water and nutrient management, flower and fruit management, training and pruning, plant disease and insect pest management and control, and control of environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, illumination, and CO(2) density.

Development status and trend of apricot cultivation in Liaoyang, China

Development status and trend of apricot cultivation in Liaoyang, China

Особенности и тенденции вариабельности лимитирующих факторов среды для плодовых культур Северного Кавказа в зимне-весенний период с учетом изменения климата (на примере абрикоса)

The aim of this work is to study the functioning of fruit crops (on the example of apricot in the South of Russia) with the external factors acting on them in order to increase their productivity in conditions of climate change. Objectives: 1) to evaluate the range of tolerance of apricot culture at speci fi c moments of its life to the limiting factors of the growing environment; 2) to study the adaptability of the culture to changing climatic conditions for speci fi c phases of development. The changes of temperature conditions in the Krasnodarregion and the Republicof Kabardino-Balkariyafor 32 years (1986-2017) were analyzed. The duration of the period of manifestation of stress factors of the winter-spring period in the Kubanzone of Krasnodar region and its western foothills causing the death of apricot fl ower buds was studied. The manifestations of temperature stress factors in the winter-spring period in the Steppe and Foothill zones of Kabardino-Balkaria were studied in parallel (for comparison). Tendencies of shift of limiting factors in the main zones of apricot cultivation in these regions in the winter-spring period are noted. It is established that with the General global warming there is a local increase in the period of winter development of temperature stresses on the strength and frequency of their manifestations. Adaptive reactions of apricot on climate fl uctuations in time (32 years) and space (Krasnodarregion, Republicof Kabardino-Balkaria) are revealed. The obtained data should be used to “ fi t” the new environmental conditions to the requirements of the plant organism (in this case, for apricot culture).

MINERAL ELEMENT CONTENT IN FRUITS OF SOME DIFFERENT APRICOT (PRUNUS ARMENIACA L.) CULTIVARS, WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON SELENIUM AND ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

The climatic features of some regions of Hungary provide great opportunity for apricot cultivation. A majority of apricot fruit is harvested in the northern part of the country. The most important traditional cultivars include ‘Gonci magyar kajszi’, ‘Cegledi orias’ and ‘Bergeron’. The element content of six different apricot cultivars (‘Goldrich’, ‘Cegledi orias’, ‘Aurora’, ‘Gonci Magyar kajszi’, ‘Magyar kajszi C.235’ and ‘Orange Red’) was examined in this study. The total element content was measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Selenium content was determined by polarography. From geographical point of view there is a wide variation in the selenium content of fruits. Apricot cultivars show great variations in element contents. It was determined that apricot contains a low quantity from most elements and daily requirements may not be covered by consumption of 300 g fresh apricot. Although they might be good sources of some essential elements. On the basis of RDA and DRI each examined apricot cultivar proved to be a good source of potassium; ‘Gonci Magyar kajszi’ and ‘Cegledi orias’ for manganese, ‘Aurora’ for manganese, potassium and copper. ‘Aurora’ fruits contain the most outstanding element concentrations (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na and S). An outstanding content of potassium (ranged from 2127 to 4175 mg kg -1 fresh weight) was measured in fruits of all tested cultivars. Although non-essential elements such as B and Al were also present in multiple DRI quantities in samples.

Suitability of Selected Seed Genotypes of Prunus armeniaca L. for Harvesting Seeds for the Production of Generative Rootstocks for Apricot Cultivars

In 2008-2011, at the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice, Poland seven genotypes of Prunus armeniaca L., designated MN-1, MN-2, MN-4, MN-6, MN-46, MN-53 and MN-59, were evaluated for use as trees to provide seeds for the production of generative rootstocks for apricot cultivars. The study was conducted on trees growing in the Experimental Orchard in Dabrowice (central Poland). The best as seed trees proved to be genotypes MN-4 and MN-46. Their flower buds are resistant to frost, the flowers are well able to tolerate spring frosts, and the trees yield regularly and produce a lot of small fruit. Trees of these genotypes are also characterized by a relatively low growth vigour and produce seeds with a high germination capacity. The results indicate that genotypes MN-4 and MN-46 are very suitable for harvesting seeds for the production of generative rootstocks for apricot cultivars in countries located in the seasonally cold regions of the temperate climate which represent the northernmost extent of apricot cultivation.

Solar apricot dryers and drying processes in the high-altitude cold-arid Ladakh region of India

Sun drying of apricot fruit (Prunus armeniaca L.) is the oldest form of preservation technique known to the people of Ladakh and is still practiced on a large scale. This is because of the abundance of available sunshine. Export of fresh fruits of apricot and apple outside the region is restricted through quarantine regulations to check the entry of a noxious pest, codling moth to other temperate fruit belts (J&K and HP) of the country. Henceforth, drying is the only possible venture in vogue to receive income from apricot cultivation. Traditional practices followed commonly render the final produce to be unhygienic thereby fetching low returns. The introduction of different types of solar dryers along with other novel drying processes has improved this age-old preservation technique. A perusal of various drying practices followed and the advantages cum utilisation pattern of various driers are discussed in the paper.

IMPROVEMENT OF LATE BLOOMING DRYING APRICOT VARIETIES BY CROSSBREEDING

One of the main problems of apricot cultivation in Turkey Malatya province refers to late spring frosts. In order to overcome this problem, a new drying apricot breeding programme has been developed in Malatya Fruit Research Institute from 1993 to 2003. Four local dried apricot varieties (Hacihaliloglu, Cataloglu, Kabaasi, Hasanbey), two foreign varieties (Luizet and P. de Colomer) and late blooming varieties were pollinated reciprocally. Six hundred eighteen F 1 hybrids obtained from different combinations were investigated for their phenological and pomological characteristics. At the end of the evaluation process, none of the hybrids was in line with expectations.

Using AFLP Markers for the Analysis of the Genetic Diversity of Apricot Cultivars in Tunisia

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) culture is present in a wide range of areas and microclimates in Tunisia. Each of them contains several specific cultivars and shows a high level of morphological diversity. To characterize the related diversity, surveys were performed in the four main apricot cultivation areas, where 31 cultivars representing apricot landraces were sampled. DNA was extracted and amplified with five different EcoRI–MseI AFLP primer combinations. Autoradiographs revealed 203 polymorphic markers in a total of 295 detected fragments. A set of redundant marker patterns was identified and deleted from the binary data matrix, data analysis being performed on a total of 167 polymorphic markers. In a dendrogram calculated by the Ward clustering technique, two major groups were identified, separating nine cultivars from the other 22. Three subgroups have been revealed in each of the main groups. The groups and subgroups identified on the genetic basis are closely related to the geographic origin of the cultivars. Analysis of the actual repartition suggested at least the introduction of two independent gene funds in the northern and central prospected areas, followed by a local diversification and then a dissemination phase. Their interaction occurred at least in the two sites of Testour and Sbikha.