Morphological and Chemical Characteristics of Prunus spinosa L. Genotypes from Denizli (Çivril)

This study was conducted to characterize the physico-chemical properties of naturally occurring blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) genotypes in Çivril, Denizli, Türkiye. In this context, 13 different blackthorn genotypes originating from seeds were examined in terms of color parameters, physical, and chemical properties. Physical characteristics of the fruits revealed that fruit width ranged from 7.95 mm to 14.12 mm, fruit length from 10.49 mm to 14.63 mm, and fruit weight varied between 1.82 g and 2.71 g. Notably, genotypes G3 and G5 stood out with fruit weights of 2.71 g and 2.58 g, respectively. Regarding the fruit flesh-to-seed ratio, genotype G3 exhibited the highest value of 7.10. In terms of color parameters, the L* value of the fruit skin ranged from 16.75 to 20.59, while the L* value of the fruit flesh varied between 17.48 and 20.45. Biochemical characteristics showed that the soluble solids content ranged widely from 12.00% to 23.40%, while pH values remained stable between 3.60 and 3.90. PCA analysis revealed that the first two components explained 67.13% of the total variation in the examined traits. Correlation analysis found a strong positive relation between fruit flesh color L* and b* values (r=0.95), as well as between fruit length and shape index (r=0.89). Based on the biplot results, it can be inferred that the studied P. spinosa genotypes have the potential to be evaluated in different ways. In conclusion, it can be stated that this species has high adaptability to local ecosystems and that, in the short term, more efficient genotypes can be obtained through selection, and in the long term, through hybridization.