PHYSIOLOGICAL EXPRESSION OF GENETIC VARIATION IN SOME CULTIVARS OF FRAGARIA AND A WILD SPECIES OF POTENTILILLA

Abstract

The present work has been carried out to demonstrate how does genetic variation among a closely related plants, showing some phenotypic similarities, are reflected on certain physiological criteria, to achieve this target, three cultivars of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa, Duch), namely Balady, Chandler and Selva as well as a species of a closely related ancestral genus Potentilla. (P. glandulosa) have been studied. The Potentilla species is diploid (14 chromosomes), whereas each of the strawberry cultivar is octaploid (56 chromosomes). The main morphological variations among the plants under study were restricted to the leaf areas and fruit sizes. In this respect, these values were evidently increased from Potentilla to the strawberry cultivar Balady, followed by Chandler then Selva, with 1 slight differences between the latters (Chandler and Selva). The most important results are summarized in the following: