Study of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) genetic resources to promote extensive crop as integration of spontaneous harvests

Uses of myrtle as aromatic plant are related to essential oil extraction from leaves (for perfume and food industry) and to liqueur production by cold infusion of fruit. Myrtle uses are largely dependent on harvest from wild plants, although this seems not sufficient to support a further increase of liqueur production. To develop myrtle cultivation as an aromatic crop, investigations on germplasm variability were made. Morphological and biometric characters of ecotypes selected from spontaneous populations have been recorded to obtain a preliminary database for a further clone selection. Useful characters for the selection of good clones may be indicated in fruit mean weight, peduncle length and pulp/seed ratio.