Morphological study of two Prunus avium varieties (wild and cultivated, Tunisian variety) in the Ain Draham region, Northwest Tunisia

This study provides valuable insights into the morphological variability of
cherry species across different areas of implantation in Ain Draham, contributing to a
better understanding of this important fruit crop. The study was conducted at four sites
with high production potential, where leaf and fruit samples were taken from forty
individuals of each variety. Sixteen morphological descriptors were retained. The
cultivated cherry trees of Babouch 2 have a greater leaf development, measuring on
average 10.79 cm long and 6.35 cm wide. The wild cherry species is characterized at
the Babouch 1 and Souiniet 1 locations by its shorter and wider leaves, which measure
9.47 cm in length and 5.98 cm in width on average. In terms of fruit morphology, the
Souiniet 2 site shows higher development. The wild species at Babouch 1 and Souiniet
1 has the biggest trunk circumference. The results show that the observed diversity in
morphological descriptors is influenced by both variety and geographical origin.
However, for some leaf-related characteristics, variability may be connected to the
genome. Nonetheless, these discoveries must be verified through molecular analysis.