Vegetative and Reproductive Characteristics of some Pecam (Carya illinoensis) Genotypes in Golestan Province, Iran

Characteristics of forty pecan genotypes in Golestan province were evaluated for three years using pecan descriptor. Cluster analysis based on quantitative and qualitative traits of fruit, fruit shape and maturity time, divided genotypes into ten main groups. Factor analysis was employed for defining the determinant factors, and the characteristics constituting each factor. The effective traits were categorized within four factors which accounted 70% of total variance. Within each factor, characters with coefficient values of more than 0.5 were considered significant. Factor analysis revealed that the traits of fruit shape, nut and oil percentage, kernel fresh and dry weight, fruit dimension, length to width ratio and shell thickness were some of the characteristics that constituted the main factors. Based on the obtained results and observation through these three years, six trees (genotypes) G2, G3, G4, G19, G20 and G28 showed better performance than the other genotypes.