Fruit Quality Traits and Self‐ (In)compatibility Allele Status of Some Apricot ( <scp> <i>Prunus armeniaca</i> </scp> L.) Seedlings Obtained by Cross‐Breeding

Cross-breeding in apricot (<i>Prunus armeniaca</i> L.) is widely used to increase genetic diversity and develop new cultivars with desirable characteristics. In the present study, the morphological traits, chemical properties, and self-compatibility status of 96 apricot seedlings from controlled hybridization and the two reference cultivars (Hacıhaliloğlu and Kabaaşı) were examined. The morphological traits' coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 3.22% to 55.83%. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first three components accounted for 63.8% of the total variance. Traits important for table apricots, such as fruit weight, fruit width, fruit length, fruit height, and fruit flesh/pit ratio, showed a high contribution in PC1. While L*, b*, and chroma values showed the highest effect on PC2, dried apricot-related characteristics such as soluble solids content (SSC), pH, fruit shape, fruit firmness, and seed weight showed the highest effect on PC3. As a result of the heatmap hierarchical clustering analysis, seedlings and reference cultivars were divided into two main groups with different subsets. In total, 76 out of 96 seedlings showed self-compatible alleles. Seedlings 6, 3, 8, and 39, having high fruit weight, an important character in table apricots, and seedlings 34, 35, 47, and 68, showing high SSC, an important feature in dried apricots, were determined to be self-compatible. Although seedling 3 was self-incompatible, it attracted attention for its red fruit color and weight. The findings provide valuable information for apricot breeding programs. These findings will shed light on studies on developing new apricot varieties with self-compatibility and high fruit quality.