Key message The studied pomegranate accessions showed great pomological variations which some of them are suitable to be used for cultivation and also for breeding programs. Abstract In the present research, pomological and leaf characters were used for evaluation of 87 local accessions of pomegranate. Significant differences were observed among the studied accessions for many of the characters investigated. In particular, fruit weight ranged from 69.77 to 341.91 g, 100 aril fresh weight from 14.44 to 42.42 g, total soluble solids from 10.80 to 17.60 % and titratable acidity from 0.40 to 4.15 %. There were high positive correlations between fruit weight and fruit dimensions and also negative correlation between titratable acidity and pH. Principal component analysis showed high discrimination capabilities of variables measured. Most of these variables were characteristics linked to fruit size. Cluster analysis and tri-plot grouped the studied accessions into two main clusters. In conclusion, two accessions (Anar-52 and Anar- 54) were determined as real soft-seed and 13 accessions as semi-soft, which are suitable in this important trait to be used for cultivation and breeding programs for decreasing of hard-seeded in commercial pomegranates. Also, softseeded pomegranates are recommended as parents for developing high-juice cultivars due to their significantly higher content of juice.
