Assessment of Genetic Diversity among Some Southern Tunisian Fig (Ficus carica L.) Cultivars Based on Morphological Descriptors

The genetic diversity among southern Tunisian fig (Ficus carica L.) cultivars was studied using morphological descriptors. Eighteen fig cultivars originating from diverse geographical areas in southern Tunisia were analyzed, described and compared to study the diversity observed in local fig germplasm in order to determine the morphological variability and to detect homonymies and synonymies within cultivars. Variance Analysis, Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Canonical Analysis of fruit and leaf characters showed a considerable diversity among cultivars. Some of them were selected and some similarities were detected. Characters with high discriminating degree were those related to fruit size, external fruit color and leaf size. Some morphological traits were suitable to be used as descriptors for classifying fig cultivars in Tunisia