Abstract
A preliminary characterization was conducted on 82 accessions of cultivated rig originated from ecological contrasting Lebanon areas (Bekaa, North, South and Mount Lebanon). Each accession was described using 11 traits related to maturity dates and pomological characters. The results revealed the presence of only one accession with the first crop (July) and the second crop (August-September). The other accessions are characterized by only the second crop with a period of maturity varying according to the accessions between precocious, mid-season and backward. Among the traits studied, the maturity dates and the external and internal fruit colors appeared to be the most discriminative parameters. Distances between accessions were calculated according to the studied traits, leading to cluster them in nine main groups.