A survey and morphological evaluation of fig (Ficus carica L.) genetic resources from Slovenia

In order to collect all existing phenotypic variation of fig accessions grown in Slovenia and to plan the conservation strategy by establishment of national collection in the northern part of Adriatic coast, the survey of family yards and Slovenian orchards was performed. Two main fig growing regions were included into the field inventory: littoral zone (Slovene Istria) and hinterland zone (Goriska Brda and Vipava Valley). All collected material was morphologically characterized according to internationally accepted descriptors for Ficus carica L., and some new descriptors for leaves and fruits were introduced. For identification the patterns of morphological variation within the fig germplasm principal component analysis (PCA) was used and cluster analysis was performed to decide the ultimate number of clusters by which the accessions could be assessed. Twenty-five Slovenian accessions were compared with fig varieties from a private fig collection in Croatia in order to assess the degree of similarity of figs grown on a broader region of Istria. Altogether 38 accessions were evaluated for 74 phenotypic characters. The results of morphological evaluation confirmed the usefulness of phenotypic markers for fig genetic resources characterization developed by IPGRI and CIHEAM (2003), but some new variables that in our study shoved high discrimination value could be added. Results of morphological evaluation contributed to the selection of accessions for the first national Slovenian fig gene bank. The national gene bank and fig data base will make a fundamental contribution to further genetic improvement of fig crops in Slovenian agriculture. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.