ISSN : 2663-2187

Investigation of Several Caprifig Genotypes in Northwestern Syria

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Hafsa Barakat, Rida Draie
ยป doi: 10.33472/AFJBS.6.8.2024.1074-1086

Abstract

The fig tree is one of the most important trees spread in the Mediterranean region. In Syria, there is a great genetic diversity of this tree, both in edible fig varieties and Caprifig. Caprifigs are very important for pollinating edible figs, so this research studied six types of Caprifigs spread in northwestern Syria (Idlib Governorate, which is the main area for fig cultivation in Syria) between 2021 and 2022. The results of the study showed the diversity of the types studied in terms of leaf characteristics, especially the number of lobes (3, 5, 7), as well as the shape of these lobes and the shape of the leaf base. Fruits also varied in the length of the inflorescences (4.14-6.83 cm), their width (4.25-7.02 cm), and their number on the branch (6.00-7.02). Concerning pollen vitality, the highest value of pollen vitality was in the small Pangani variety (99.67%), superior to the rest of the models. Bunduqi variety was early when the wasp pollinating fig emerged, and the amount of pollen in it was high, making it ideal for pollinating early female figs (which is the dominant characteristic of the female fig varieties widespread in Syria). The results of the cluster analysis of the characteristics of the studied models also showed that the studied genotypes were grouped into two main clusters. The first cluster included five genotypes, while the second group included one genotype, the big Pangani, and the highest degree of relatedness was between the Azrak and big Pangani genotypes. PCA analysis indicated that three factors explained 93.65% of the total variance. Inflorescence length was also positively associated with its width because of studying the correlation between traits. The results of this research indicate the great diversity among the types of Caprifigs spread in northwestern Syria, and therefore the necessity of choosing the appropriate pollinator in terms of the quantity and vitality of pollen grains and the timing of the appearance of Blastophaga insects.

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