The Pomological and Morphological Characterization of Different Foreign Almond Cultivars and the Local Type Grown under Ecological Conditions of Çanakkale

The present study aims to investigate the pomological and morphological characteristics of different foreign almond [Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb] cultivars and local type cultivated in Çanakkale ecological conditions. Within the scope of the study, Ferragnes, Ferraduel, Texas, Laurenne and Nonpareil were used as foreing almond cultivars, while Alçıtepe was selected as local type. Two-year data were used in the study. In 2023 and 2024, fruit characteristics of the cultivars and local type harvested in August-September, shelled and ushelled measurements, leaf and petiole characteristics and SPAD values indicating photosynthetic capacity were compared to obtain in-depth information about the production potential and quality parameters of different cultivars and local type. With regard to shelled and unshelled characteristics, the Ferraduel cultivar exhibited the longest shell width (23.32 mm), the Nonpareil cultivar demonstrated the longest shell length (38.99 mm), while the Ferragnes and Texas cultivars exhibited shorter shell characteristics. The highest unshelled fruit weight was found in cultivar Laurenne (2.46 g), while local type Alçıtepe had the lowest unshelled weight (1.30 g). Regarding the unshelled yield ratio, the cultivars Texas (40.31%) and Ferragnes (33.23%) had the highest yield ratios. These results show that there is a large variation in shelled yield ratio between cultivars. When leaf and petiole characteristics were analysed, Ferraduel cultivar had the largest leaf (32.80 mm), while Alçıtepe local type and Texas cultivar had smaller leaves. In terms of SPAD value, Laurenne (42.16) and Alçıtepe (41.60) had the highest values, while Texas (37.38) and Ferragnes (38.56) had lower SPAD values. This shows that there are significant differences in the photosynthetic capacity of different cultivars and this is an important factor in terms of productivity. In conclusion, this study revealed significant differences in pomological and morphological characteristics of some important almond cultivars and local type and highlighted that some cultivars provide larger fruits and higher yields. It is predicted that the results obtained will be an important guide for the selection of productive cultivars in almond production and the improvement of production techniques for almond local type. Keywords: Local type, standart cultivars, pomological traits, morphological traits.