Morphological diversity of indigenous wild pomegranate (Punica granatum L. var. spinosa) accessions from northeast of Iran.

Wild pomegranate is a valuable edible species in the plant ecosystem of the Hyrcanian forests and the northern plains of the Caspian coast in Iran. The genetic diversity of these wild pomegranates can be effective in pomegranate breeding programs and germplasm conservation. In the present study, morphological diversity in 103 wild pomegranates (Punica granatum L . var. spinosa) in the northeastern area of Iran was studied using 46 traits related to trees, flowers, and fruits. The results showed that the fruit weight ranged from 17.93 to 99.9g with an average of 48.92g, the total aril weight ranged from 0.54g to 64.78g with an average of 24.25g, and the weight of 100 arils was between 4.89 and 46.21 with an average of 13.79. The fruit cracking percent, crown shape, aril juiciness, calyx, and corolla colors show a high coefficient of variation (CV>70%). Based on PCA results, fruit weight and...