Performance of different genotypes of pummelo (Citrus grandis L.) for softwood grafting success and growth parameters

Abstract

Pummelo (Citrus grandis L.) is one of the important tropical fruit crops among the citrus group. Since pummelo is a monoembryonic and crosspollinated crop, vegetative propagation is critical for obtaining true-to-type plants. A study entitled “Performance of different genotypes of pummelo (Citrus grandis L.) for softwood grafting success and growth parameters” was carried out in the Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture Bengaluru in 2022. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomised design (CRD) with ten genotypes in three replications to know the response of softwood grafting success on locally gathered scions of elite Devanahalli pummelo genotypes was assessed. In February, they were grafted onto sixmonth-old rangpur lime rootstock. The results revealed that the genotype DSP-8 had recorded the significant minimum days (13) for bud breaking, the maximum graft success (96.67 %) and survivability (100.00 %). The genotype DSP-12 had a significantly maximum graft height at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after grafting (DAG) (11.60, 14.73, 17.07 and 19.91 cm, respectively) and graft girth at 30, 60, 90 and 120 DAG (3.16, 3.95, 4.95, and 6.01 mm, respectively). Whereas the DSP-5 genotype had recorded significant maximum sprouts at 60, 90 and 120 DAG (3.67, 4.34 and 4.34, respectively) and the DSP-8 genotype had recorded the maximum number of leaves at 30, 60 and 120 DAG i.e., 7.67, 11.67 and 20.34. Among the different genotypes DSP-8 and DSP-12 recorded higher graft success, and these genotypes can be exploited for commercial production.