Apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) is an important fruit crop widely spread in the cold and mild climates of temperate regions in the world, with more than 93 million tons harvested worldwide in 2021. The object of this work was to analyze thirty-one local apple cultivars of the Campania region (Southern Italy) using agronomic, morphological (UPOV descriptors) and physicochemical (solid soluble content, texture, pH and titratable acidity, skin color, Young's modulus and browning index) traits. UPOV descriptors highlighted similarities and differences among apple cultivars with a depth phenotypic characterization. Apple cultivars showed significant differences in fruit weight (31.3-236.02 g) and physicochemical trait ranging from 8.0 to 14.64° Brix for solid soluble content, 2.34-10.38 g malic acid L-1 for titratable acidity, and 15-40% for browning index. Furthermore, different percentages in apple shape and skin color have been detected. Similarities among the cultivars based on their bio-agronomic and qualitative traits have been evaluated by cluster analyses and principal component analyses. This apple germplasm collection represents an irreplaceable genetic resource with considerable morphological and pomological variabilities among several cultivars. Nowadays, some local cultivars, widespread only in restricted geographical areas, could be reintroduced in cultivation contribution to improving the diversity of our diets and contemporary to preserve knowledge on traditional agricultural systems.
Keywords: ancient cultivars; fruit crop; germplasm; statistical analysis.