Characterization and evaluation of the diversity of local and imported coconut varieties collected from the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) is commonly recognized by their heights, prevalence and long-term presence. Currently the demand for coconuts and these products is high all over the world, it is in this context that our research work is included in order to preserve and use the rich biological diversity of this palm. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of the environment on the morphology of different organs of the coconut palm. Principal component analysis (PCA) is one of the most important statistical tools for estimating the variations between the morphological characters of individuals, which are the basis for determining the degree of polymorphism, for detecting relationships between cultivars, and for evaluating the agronomic traits for the classification of coconuts. This study was conducted on twelve coconut genotypes spread over in the Sultanate of Oman and different thirty-nine qualitative and quantitative traits were evaluated. This data set was analyzed by the principal component analysis (PCA) and UPGMA cluster. And these; the results revealed great variability in the expression of the vegetative (quantitative and qualitative) agromorphological characters related to the stipe, the leaf and the fruit. The results showed that local cultivar individuals were morphologically distinct, suggesting that it may be a polyclonal variety