Intra-cultivar diversity in the Croatian olive cultivar, 'Lastovka'

摘要

The Croatian olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivar, 'Lastovka' is mainly used for oil production. While fruit yields are high and regular, the growing area is limited due to its sensitivity to low temperatures, with production concentrated on the South Dalmatian island of Korcula. Different morphological types have been observed during production. In order to determine the extent of intra-cultivar diversity, 47 individual 'Lastovka' trees were analysed for 11 morphological traits and assessed using AFLP markers, and compared to ten trees each of the cultivars 'Oblica' and 'Drobnica'. Clear differentiation among cultivars was detected, and the results showed that both the morphological and molecular data were equally reliable for discriminating between cultivars. The existence of intra-cultivar diversity in 'Lastovka' was therefore confirmed at both the morphological and molecular levels, providing an opportunity for the selection of potentially superior clones.