Background: Recent nutritional and medical studies have associated the regular consumption of almonds with a wide range of health benefits. As a consequence, kernel quality has become an important goal for breeding, considering not only the chemical composition conferring a specific organoleptic quality but also physical traits related to industrial processing. Methods: We characterized an almond collection from Sardinia through analysis of 13 morpho-physiological traits and eight essential oil profiles. The genetic structure of the collection was studied by analyzing the polymorphism of 11 simple sequence repeats (SSR). Results: Both commercial and phenotypic traits showed wide ranges of variation. Most genotypes were early flowering with low yield potential. Several genotypes showed moderate to high yield and very interesting oil compositions of kernels. Based on 11 SSR profiles and Bayesian clustering, the Sardinian cultivars were assigned to groups which were differentiated for several agronomic and commercial traits. Conclusions: Several cultivars showed a high kernel oil content and high oleic to linoleic content ratio. Based on morphological traits, we propose that some of the analyzed cultivars could be interesting for industrial applications. Finally, we highlight the importance of characterizing early blooming cultivars for sites which are experiencing a rise in mean temperatures due to the effects of global climate changes.

The study of biodiversity is of fundamental importance in the context of environmental protection and eco-sustainable agriculture management. Its preservation has a key role and an extraordinary importance not only for the protection of potential gene pools, which is essential for selection and breeding programs, but also because local varieties are the expression of a territory and therefore reflect culture, knowledge, and tradition heritage. In this paper, 27 local cherry varieties collected in different areas of Sardinia were characterized and described from different perspectives, including pomology and genetics, using SSR markers. A complete framework on the biodiversity of cherry trees in Sardinia is presented, in order to support an objective assessment of different cultivar traits, namely those of agronomical interest, and to support the dissemination and conservation of the historical fruit tree cultivation heritage.