PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE MORPHOMETRIC AND PHENOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF Asphodelus microcarpus Salzm. & Viv. IN THE SOUTHERN SLOPE OF MOUNT TESSALA (WESTERN ALGERIA)

In this preliminary study, we studied the phenological behaviour and growth of leaf in six populations of Asphodelus microcarpus (Salzm. & Viv.) over a 13 weeks follow-up. The population was chosen according to an altitudinal gradient on the southern slope of Mount Tessala (north-western Algeria).

The chronology of the phenological events was established for each population, namely the vegetative stage, the emergence and elongation of the flower stalk, the appearance of the first flowers, and the beginning and the full fruition. We also evaluated at the end of the vegetation phase, the individuals of each population following morphometric parameters: height, girth and a number of leaves means.

The obtained results permitted to demonstrate the existence of variability within each population on morphometric parameters aroused and leaf growth (P = 0.05). This variability, is confirmed by the principal component analysis (PCA), is related to the successive altitudinal gradient. The Ascending Hierarchical Classification shows the effect of the altitudinal gradient on the phenological behaviour of A. microcarpus, i.e., population that is located in height have a late flowering and fruiting compared to those located at lower altitudes that are early.