Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5513/JCEA01/27.3.5025
Seed morphometry as a tool for discriminating the diversity of Moroccan grapevine
Nouhaila DIHAZ
; TEDAEEP Team Research, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University – (UAE-FPL), Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache, B.P. 745 Larache, 92004., Morocco
Salama EL FATEHI
; TEDAEEP Team Research, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University – (UAE-FPL), Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache, B.P. 745 Larache, 92004., Morocco
Hanan EL AOU-OUAD
; Ecology and Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Science Ben M’sik, University Hassan II, Casablanca 20000, Morocco
Anass BEN MOULA
; Plant, Microbial, Marine, and Precision Agriculture Biotechnology research team; Abdelmalek Essaadi University – (UAE-FPL), Larache, 92004, Morocco
Widad BENZIANE
; TEDAEEP Team Research, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University – (UAE-FPL), Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache, B.P. 745 Larache, 92004., Morocco
Abdelhalim CHMARKHI
; TEDAEEP Team Research, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University – (UAE-FPL), Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache, B.P. 745 Larache, 92004., Morocco
Younes HMIMSA
; TEDAEEP Team Research, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University – (UAE-FPL), Polydisciplinary Faculty of Larache, B.P. 745 Larache, 92004., Morocco
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Grapevine seeds exhibit a high degree of polymorphism. Accordingly, they have been utilized for genus Vitis taxonomy and generally, their phenotypic traits are used to describe Vitis vinifera L. varieties. To study the phenotypic diversity of grapevine seeds using linear morphometry, 540 seeds from 27 indigenous Moroccan grapevine varieties were sampled. Eleven linear morphometric parameters were used to characterize seed shape, while four indices (aspect ratio, circularity, roundness, and solidity) were employed to describe seed form. The results demonstrated that the selected morphometric measurements have strong discriminative power. Their application to seeds from indigenous Moroccan varieties revealed marked inter-varietal and intra-varietal variability. For all varieties, one-way and two-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) showed highly significant differences with elevated F-values, indicating a high rate of variability both within and among varieties. Principal component analysis further revealed that grapevine varieties from the Western Rif exhibit greater intra-seed variability compared to those from the Middle and High Atlas regions. In contrast, seeds from the latter regions are generally bigger, wider, and more circular and rounded. These findings support the hypothesis that grape seeds display distinct phenotypic patterns linked to their geographical origin.
Keywords
Vitis vinifera L.; local varieties; shape characteristics; seed form; variability
Hrčak ID:
351486
URI
Publication date:
1.10.2026.
Visits: 0 *