32. Fruit morphological attributes to assess genetic diversity in jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana L.) germplasm of Bahawalpur
Abstract
Genetic diversity plays a major role in varietal improvement of crops. The genus Ziziphus (jujube or ber) is an important fruit crop of arid zones consisting of above 100 species of deciduous or evergreen plants and shrubs widely scattered in the desert, tropical and subtropical areas. In Pakistan, several local and exotic accessions are being cultivated for fruit production. Jujube is neglected fruit crop in Pakistan with diminutive assessment of fruit morphological characters. In this study, 22 selected accessions were characterized based on various physico-morphological traits. The results proved broad genetic base in all 22 genotypes for various commercial traits. Fruits from the selected genotypes were assessed based on fruit weight, fruit length, seed weight, seed length, seed diameter, fruit pulp weight and total soluble solids (TSS). Highest variation (7.22%) was recorded in fruit weight which ranged from 6.08 to 37.64 g among the tested genotypes; however, least variation was recorded in seed weight. Strongest correlation of r = 0.99 was measured between fruit and pulp weight with all 22 genotypes were clustered into three main classes with maximum variation of 163% within class c followed by classes a and b with variation of 73.35 and 64.18% within the classes, respectively. Studied genotypes had broad genetic base with a high flow of characters among them, could be used in advanced breeding for varietal improvement programs.
Keywords: Physico-morphological characters; Cultivars; PC analysis; Correlation and cluster analysis
