Original scientific paper
Leaf Mineral Composition in Plum Cultivars (Prunus salicina Lindl. and Prunus domestica L.) Related to Yield Levels
Anas Hamdani
; National Agricultural Research Institute, Meknes, Morocco; Laboratory of Agro-Industrial and Medical Biotechnologies, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, University of Sultan Moulay Slimane, Beni Mellal, Morocco
Said Bouda
; Laboratory of Agro-Industrial and Medical Biotechnologies, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, University of Sultan Moulay Slimane, Beni Mellal, Morocco
Lahcen Hssaini
; National Agricultural Research Institute, Meknes, Morocco
Abdellatif Boutagayout
; The Environment and Soil Microbiology Unit, Faculty of Sciences-Moulay Ismail University, Zitoune, Meknes, Morocco
Atman Adiba
; Regional Agricultural Research Center of Tadla, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, Morocco
Rachid Razouk
; National Agricultural Research Institute, Meknes, Morocco
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The plum tree is a major crop in Morocco, and one that has developed rapidly and plays a very important environmental role in the protection, restoration and fixation of soils. It also plays an economic role, which lies in its fruit, which has a high nutritional value comparable to that of fruits such as almonds, peaches, apples and others. However, there is no national study to assess the variability among cultivated plum cultivars to supply descriptors that are important, especially in the case of the evaluation of plum genotypes. In this study, 27 plum cultivars grown in the Ain Taoujdate experimental field of Morocco's National Institute for Agronomic Research were examined to assess the variability among them. Measurements were made on yield, macronutrient content of leaves: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) and micronutrients: sodium (Na), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu). All analyses revealed significant variation in terms of yield and leaf mineral composition between the cultivars studied. PCA using the mean of the traits revealed that fruit yield and foliar content of potassium (K), zinc (Zn), nitrogen (N), iron (Fe), sodium (Na), copper (Cu), magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) had the greatest impact on the discrimination of cultivars to reveal their variability. Analysis of the clusters identified three separate groups among the cultivars examined in order to assess their variability. These findings are of considerable value for the breeding of cultivars for plum trees based on their agronomic and mineral attributes for cultivation.
Keywords
Prunus domestica L.; Prunus salicina Lindl.; productive potential; leaf macro and micro micronutrient
Hrčak ID:
326841
URI
Publication date:
14.1.2025.
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