PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE EVALUATION OF YIELD COMPONENTS IN AN F1 SEGREGANT POPULATION OF OLIVE SEEDLINGS FROM THE CROSS (LECCINO X KALAMATA)

Although olive is a widely grown crop and has a millennial tradition, it is still poorly involved in specific breeding programs.
We report on the preliminary results of a genetic characterization of a F1 segregant population of 89 seedlings derived from the cross (Leccino x Kalamata). The following continuous characters of the drupe were directly measured: drupe number per plant, longitudinal and transversal diameters of drupe and stone, weight and volume of drupe and stone.
Moreover, five qualitative characters of the drupe (shape, symmetry, apex shape, and colour) and of the leaf (shape) were also recorded.
As for the qualitative variable, the segregation distributions were analysed in order to verify if a specific genetic model (as number and type of action of the genes) could be postulated.
As this study regards continuous traits, a statistical analysis was carried out to verify the characteristics of the distributions, and the correlation among variables.
The pattern of correlation is very interesting because it seems to indicate that for this cross it could be possible to increase Drupe Weight and Pulp with less effect on the stone dimension.
Since the two parental cultivars are extremely different in terms of size, shape and utilisation of the fruit, the preliminary presented results can be considered an indirect proof that the phenotypic differences between the parents are genetically based and that this population could be used in a mapping experiment using molecular markers to locate genes for these quantitatively expressed traits (QTLs).

III International Symposium on Olive Growing

G. Fontanazza, G. Vergari, M. Patumi, G. Giorio

Olive, genetic characterization

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.474.16