Biochemical and Morphological Traits of Wild Myrtle Populations for Horticultural Use

Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.), an evergreen shrub belonging to the Myrtaceae family, is widely valued for its applications in the cosmetic, hygienic, and medicinal industries. This plant produces berries in two colors—white and black—with black berries receiving increasing attention due to their superior antioxidant properties. This study investigates black myrtle berries’ morphological and biochemical characteristics from eight prominent natural habitats in Fars Province, southwestern Iran. The results reveal significant variations in the morphological (such as fruit length and diameter, fruit length-to-diameter ratio, seed length and diameter, fruit weight, pulp weight, seed weight, pulp-to-seed ratio, and number of seeds) and biochemical attributes among the studied populations. The longest fruit was from the Kherqeh (KH) (8.29 mm) population, while the shortest was from the Baghnari (BN) (5.85 mm) population. The largest fruit diameter was also from KH (6.83 mm), which did not show a significant difference compared to the Zanjiran (ZF) population, while the smallest fruit diameter was from BN (5.12 mm), which did not differ significantly from the Kavar (KA), Simakan (SM), Kouhmareh Road (JK), or Atashkadeh (AT) populations. Notably, all populations exhibited high levels of phenolic compounds, ranging from 660 to 1846 mg per 100 g of fresh weight, and potent antioxidant activity, as indicated by low half-maximal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.018 to 0.187 mg per gram. Correlation analyses further demonstrated that altitude and specific soil properties influenced the biochemical traits of the berries to varying degrees. These findings offer valuable scientific insights for selecting and utilizing specific myrtle populations in horticulture, particularly for breeding programs to maximize antioxidant properties and phenolic content.