PRINCIPLE COMPONENT ANALYSES OF QUANTITATIVE TRAITS IN CULTIVATED FIG(FICUS CARICA L.) GENOTYPES

This study provides a comprehensive morphological assessment of 90 fig varieties and forms, based on 19 quantitative traits.Significant variation in ripening times of the main crop was observed among the female fig varieties.The growth cycle of fruits and the presence of Blastophaga psenes wasps on caprifig trees were also documented.Among the 90 cultivated fig accessions, the most notable variations were observed in ostiole width, terminal bud ratio, fruit neck length, and fruit weight, which ranged from 7.4 g to 110 g.The 'Adriatic' variety exhibited the smallest fruit size, while 'Dalmat' produced the largest.Total soluble solids ranged from 11.9% to 32.4%, with 'Bol Enjir' displaying the highest value.Principal component analysis revealed that the first seven components explained more than 76.2% of the total variation.PC1, contributing 19.5% to the variation, was primarily associated with fruit traits, while PC2 (18.7%) was influenced by leaf traits.The biplot analysis further highlighted key traits, including leaf length, leaf area, leaf width, and fruit size, as major contributors to the observed variability.These findings emphasize the high diversity among fig genotypes, offering insights for future breeding programs, conservation strategies, and the selection of superior varieties with desirable traits.