Algerian carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) populations. Morphological and chemical variability of their fruits and seeds

A large number of articles dealing with the study of carob fruit as well as with the diversity and characterization of its seeds in Mediterranean countries, such as Spain, Morocco and Tunisia, have been mentioned in the literature. However, the Algerian varieties are almost unknown and none have been studied so far. The present work aims to study the morphological variations of Carob (pod length, width, thickness, seed number, weight, etc.) and its chemical composition (moisture, total sugar, crude fiber, and ash content) from ten different regions located in the north of Algeria. The Principal Component Analysis technique was applied in order to separate the different carob varieties and put them in three grouped data and three ungrouped data. This procedure also helped to establish the correlations existing between the morphological and composition aspects and the geographic locations of the different carob varieties. This is a quite practicable approach in selecting a variety with high seed and sugar contents for the purpose of developing an Algerian plant breeding program, with the aim of increasing the cultivation of carob trees and improving its industrial exploitation.