Morphological and pomological variation of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is very important in terms of horticulture and food in the world. In total, 125 pomegranate genotypes were selected from the Saveh region in Markazi province, Iran, to determine morphological variation and also to select the promising genotypes based on the quality of fruit. The measured traits showed significant variation among these genotypes. Fruit length ranged from 46.22 to 93.04 mm, and the range of fruit diameter was from 48.42 to 108.69 mm. The range of fruit weight was from 77.23 to 511.11 g, and 100-aril fresh weight ranged between 15.65 and 48.23 g. Principal component analysis placed the traits into seven components explaining 78.41% of the total variation. The first principal component showed significant correlations with fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit neck diameter, fruit crown diameter, peel thickness, and fruit weight, called fruit size components which had the greatest effect on the separation of genotypes. Ward dendrogram and scatter plot showed considerable variations in the 125 genotypes with several groups. In conclusion, one soft-seeded genotype and 21 semi-soft-seeded genotypes were selected that may be used by the breeding programs. Also, among the above 22 genotypes, 10 genotypes with high fruit quality traits, such as fruit weight, aril weight, aril color, and TSS, are recommended for cultivation in commercial orchards.