Phenotypical variability and genetic diversity within accessions of the Swedish sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) genetic resources collection

Abstract

Multivariate statistic analysis was used to determine phenotypical variability and genetic diversity among 40 sour cherry accessions from the collection of the Division of Horticultural Genetics and Plant Breeding of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Both cluster and principal component analysis showed an adequate grouping of accessions according to phenotypical data and known pedigree data. The most important traits for sour cherry accession grouping were tree architecture and fruit traits, which should be taken into account in the further sour cherry genetic resource characterization and analysis of breeding material. The multivariate analysis of several sour cherry traits increased the value of phenotypical data as it provided comprehensive information about the genetic structure of the collection and relationships among the accessions, which is not possible by analysis of separate traits. Keywords: Prunus cerasus, germplasm, characterization, genetic diversity, multivariate statistics