Comparative Study of Four Jackfruit Genotypes: Morphology, Physiology and Physicochemical Characterization

Abstract

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is a climacteric fruit native to India which, due to its edaphoclimatic adaptability, is also found in Mexico, the main exporter of the fruit in Latin America. Despite this, information on the characterization of jackfruit genotypes in Mexico is limited; therefore, the objective of this study was to carry out morphological, physiological, and physicochemical characterization of four jackfruit genotypes, locally known as “Agüitada”, “Licenciada”, “Rumina”, and “Virtud”, which are cultivated in Nayarit, Mexico. Morphological analyses revealed 17 traits with significant differences among the genotypes. The respiration rate showed the maximum production of CO2 in the “Agüitada” genotype, with 123.99 mL of CO2 kg−1·h−1 at day 2 of storage. The “Rumina” and “Licenciada” genotypes had yellow bulbs while “Agüitada” and “Virtud” had orange bulbs. A principal component analysis revealed different behaviors of the fruits throughout their storage. In general, a wide diversity was revealed among the jackfruit genotypes which are cultivated in the state of Nayarit, Mexico. This study may be useful for their future use in breeding programs.