Phenological and morphological characteristics of new selections of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.)

The domestication of myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) is a process that includes the assessment of the crop management and a breeding program for cultivar development. This manuscript presents the first results on the selection of a new group of cultivars generated by open pollination of previously described genotypes. Nineteen new selections are described. The following main phenophases were observed: Vegetative growth, flowering, development and maturation of fruit, and partial leaf drop. The following morphological characteristics were recorded: Shoot and internode length; length, width, and shape of leaves; number of fruits per shoot; peduncle length; weight, length, width, shape, and color of fruit; color and weight of flesh; number and weight of seeds per fruit; pulp/seeds ratio; shape and diameter of calyx. Of the selected new cultivars, the most interesting for the production of berries were 'Valentina', 'Viviana', 'Gian Paola', 'Mariella', 'Lalla', 'Greta', 'Caterina', 'Andrea', 'Monica', 'Emma', and 'Rossella'. The most vigorous selections were 'Valentina', 'Mariella', 'Andrea', 'Enza', and 'Eliana'. High morphological diversity in fruit shape (elliptical, ovate or obovate) was observed among selections.