Identification and Morphometric Characterization

The objective of our study is to examine wheat varietal diversity in terms of production and adaptation. An inventory was therefore conducted in the Wilaya of Tlemcen to collect local and introduced varieties of durum wheat (Triticum durum) and soft wheat (Triticum aestivum) for morphological characterization. In this context, a collection of 16 wheat varieties from different regions within the Tlemcen Wilaya was studied using 9 quantitative agromorphological traits and 16 qualitative traits. Phenotypic diversity was determined using the Shannon-Weaver diversity index (H') at different levels (entire sample, by wheat type, and by variety name). The estimated H' values showed wide phenotypic variability for the various quantitative traits, with an average H' of 0.58 for durum wheat and 0.52 for soft wheat. For the qualitative traits, the diversity index was 0.05 for durum wheat and 0 for soft wheat. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical classification (CAH) of the studied population showed a clear distinction between the different varieties.