Pomological Traits Research Articles

Pomological traits, phenol and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity introduced the pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cultivars grown in the Mediterranean part of Croatia

Fruit samples of ‘Granada’, ‘Wonderful’ and ‘Hicaznar’ cultivars were collected in productive pomegranate orchard in Neretva valley, Metković (Croatia) and their pomological and chemical properties were compared. Significant differences among cultivars were noted between the studied traits. Fruit weight ranged from 429.37 g to 359.43 g and the lowest was recorded in cv. ‘Hicaznar’. Color of peel, aril and juice of all investigated cultivars was intensively red and dark red, respectively. ‘Granada’ and ‘Wonderful’ stood out with high juice yield compared with ‘Hicaznar’. Total soluble solid (TSS) of ‘Hicaznar’ (18.61%) was higher than that of ‘Wonderful’ (16.64%). Total acidity (TA) significantly differed among cultivars and ranged from 1.6% to 2.1%. According to the TSS/TA ratio investigated cultivars belong to the group of sour-sweet cultivars. Dissimilarity between cultivars was found in the phenolics content (TPC). It ranged from 679.6 to 906.6 mg/100 g D.W. where ‘Hicaznar’ stood out as a cultivar with highest TPC and also highest flavonoid and non-flavonoid content (521.1 mg/100 g D.W. and 385.5 mg/100 g D.W., respectively). In ‘Granada’ antioxidant activity measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl was recorded for 64.1%, in ‘Wonderful’ 70.2% and the highest in ‘Hicaznar’ (74.5%). Results of this assessment are the basis for practical determination of the pomegranate use.

Study of pomological traits and physico-chemical quality of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) genotypes grown in Italy

Pomegranate is considered a functional food but several local accessions and cultivars are widespread in different countries. The characterization of local germoplasm allows to identify genotypes that possess the highest nutraceutical value compared to standard cultivars (cvs.) and that are well-adapted to local climatic conditions and could be used in the breeding programs. The aim of this study was the characterization of pomological and physico-chemical traits as well as antioxidant system in local pomegranate accessions (‘Mondrone Dolce’, ‘San Pietro’, ‘Granato’ and ‘Roce’), comparing to an Italian (‘Dente di Cavallo’) and international cvs. (‘Wonderful’). A high variability of the pomological traits resulted among the cultivars. ‘Wonderful’ showed the highest value of anthocyanins (554.99 ± 0.05 mg C3gE L−1), total phenols (1494.00 ± 116.20 mg GAE L−1) and antioxidant activity (EC50 values 21.21 ± 0.05 µL mL−1), whereas ‘Granato’ had the highest values among local accessions. Furthermore, the antioxidant enzymes activities varied with genotypes. Principal component analysis revealed great differences in all investigated parameters among pomegranate genotypes. ‘Mondrone Dolce’, ‘San Pietro’ and ‘Dente di Cavallo’ showed similar pomological and nutraceutical traits compared to ‘Granato’ and ‘Roce’. Conversely, ‘Wonderful’, due to its peculiar traits, revealed significant differences with respect to other genotypes.

The I.V.I.A. germplasm collection of persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.)

The germplasm collection of persimmon located at IVIA includes 93 accessions. They come from local surveys carried out in European Mediterranean countries plus introduced cultivars from those countries where genetic resources of persimmon are available. Most of the accessions introduced come from the National Persimmon Genebank of Japan. The task of the germplasm collection is to conserve and characterize all the accessions as well as to provide information useful for persimmon breeders, technicians or growers. Studies of this collection included analysis of pomological characters related to the tree, leaves and fruits along with phenological and molecular marker data. A summary of data from a set of collection accessions is presented in this report. The main traits reported included flowering, ripening and pomological traits. Sugar, acidity, shape, firmness, yield and astringency descriptions are described. The most important cultivar grown in Spain, 'Rojo Brillante', is used as a reference cultivar. Results indicated that the flowering period is narrow. Most of the accessions flower in May, however the range of ripening is wider, from 'Agakaki', an earlier variety, ripening in September to 'Edoichi', a variety from Italy that ripens at the beginning of December. Diversity in the collection is being increased by means of new introductions, mainly nonastringent varieties from Japan.

Inheritance of apple proliferation resistance by parental lines of apomictic Malus sieboldii as donor of resistance in rootstock breeding

To study inheritance of Malus sieboldii-derived apple proliferation resistance, 14 cross combinations were performed with the tetraploid apomictic M. sieboldii and first and second generation parental lines as donor of resistance and Malus x domestica scion cultivars and apple rootstocks as donor of pomological traits. In the progeny examined mainly three classes were present consisting of mother-like plants with the allele composition of the maternal apomict (ML), hybrids based on fertilization of an unreduced egg cell (hybrid I), and fully recombinant plants (hybrid II). Two-year screening of inoculated plants in the nursery revealed that progeny classes ML and H I responded similarly to infection and that about half of the progeny showed satisfactory resistance. No appropriate resistance was identified in progeny class H II. This might be due to the fact that in fully recombinant offspring M. sieboldii haplotypes have been reduced from 4n to 1-2n or were entirely lost. Following nursery-growing, promising trees were evaluated for six more years in the orchard. Nearly all of them showed satisfactory resistance but were mostly less productive and more vigorous than trees on clonal standard rootstock M9. However, mainly among the offspring of progeny 4608 × M9, resistant genotypes were identified showing pomological properties similar to M9.

The Effect of Phytoplasma Disease Caused by ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’ on the Phenological and Pomological Traits in Apricot Trees

‘Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum’, the causal agent of European stone fruit yellows (ESFY), is one of the most important pathogens causing considerable economic losses in stone fruit orchards. This study evaluated trees infected and noninfected by phytoplasma ESFY of 16 apricot varieties grown in an orchard in Lednice (Czech Republic) between the years 2008-2014. Pomological traits, phenophases, pollen germination and seed viability were analysed as well as the presence of ‘Ca. P. prunorum’ in pollen, flower organs, fruit flesh, immature seeds and seedlings by nested PCR. One of the most detrimental impacts was the decreased fruit set of infected trees which occurred in 12 out of 16 studied varieties reaching an average fruit set decrease of 16.1%. Pollen germination rates also suffered, showing an average decrease by 11.78% in infected trees. In the analysis of some traits, overall significant differences were observed between the infected and noninfected trees. However, for all analysed traits in different varieties, both positive and negative influences of phytoplasma ESFY were observed. The presence of ‘Ca. P. prunorum’ in infected trees was confirmed in flower parts (only in peduncle in 70.2% of cases) and fruit parts (immature fruit flesh in 42.0% and milky kernels in 26.2% of cases), however, neither in seedlings nor in pollen.

Physico-chemical characteristics of pomegranate accessions from the Kurdistan region, Iraq

Some physico-chemical properties of ten pomegranate accessions collected from different districts in the Kurdistan region of Iraq were investigated in this paper. Considerable correlations between the characteristics studied were found and valuable pomological traits were observed. Cluster analysis showed the homonyms between some pomegranate accessions. Principle component analysis reported that the component describing the greatest variability also positively correlated with fruit weight, total aril weight, total peel weight, volume of juice, total soluble solids (TSS), fruit length, fruit diameter, pH, aril length, and 100-seed fresh weight, but negatively correlated with titratable acidity (TA). Fruit weight was firmly correlated with total aril weight, total peel weight, volume of juice, TSS, aril length, 100-seed fresh weight, fruit length and fruit diameter. The volume of juice was correlated with TSS, aril length, 100-seed fresh weight, fruit length, fruit diameter and it was observed that with an increase in the fruit size, the volume of juice increased as well. The correlation between total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity was not observed. The associations found among physical and chemical traits suggest that consumers should use large fruits with large arils so that they have more juice. Thus, ?Choman?, ?Raniyeh? and ?Halabja? were juicier than other accessions.

Variability in Pomological traits of Plum (Prunus sp.) Germplasm of Kashmir valley

Variability in Pomological traits of Plum (<i>Prunus</i> sp.) Germplasm of Kashmir valley

Genetic diversity and character association analysis based on pomological traits in olive (Olea europaea L.)

Thirteen exotic genotypes of olive (Olea europaea L.) were studied for the genetic variability, correlation and path coefficient analysis for fruit quality, yield and yield contributing traits at experimental farm of ICAR-CITH, Srinagar during 2009-2013. Maximum variability was recorded for fruit yield and oil content, however, low differ-ences between the phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variations indicated low environmental influences on the expression of these characters. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was obtained with fruit yield per plant, acidity, fruit pulp weight, fruit weight and stone weight. Fruit weight (r=0.329), stone weight (r=0.405) and oil content (r=0.841) were the most important traits, which possessed significant positive association with fruit yield per plant. Path coefficient analysis revealed that among the different yield contributing characters oil content (0.875), fruit weight (0.797) followed by acidity (0.501), peroxides value ( 0.199) and fruit length (0.054) influenced fruit yield per plant directly. The direct effects of these characters on fruit yield were found positive and considerably very high.The selection based on fruit weight, stone weight oil content and yield per plant will be effective for enhancing the fruit and oil yieldand making future olive breeding strategies.

Association analysis for pomological traits in mango (Mangifera indica L.) by genic-SSR markers

Key message A set of five genic-SSR markers ( p < 0.1) are significantly associated ( r 2 = 19.92%) with six critical pomological traits. This information will facilitate marker-assisted genetic enhancement in mango.

Foliar nutritive fluids affect generative potential of apples: Multilocation DOP indexing and PCA studies under dry temperate agro-climatic conditions of north-west Himalaya

Multilocation trials were established to evaluate the conjoint effects of foliar nutrient fluids supplemented along with soil NPK fertilizers on generative potential of apples in dry temperate ecosystem of north-west Himalaya. The principal objective of selecting three site locations was to ascertain any interaction between variety and climate. Trial procedure included conjoint tree fertilization of foliar nutritive fluids of NPK-water soluble fertilizers (WSF, 0.5% solution as foliar spray) supplemented at different growth stages viz., NPK-19:19:19 (at an interval of 15days from foliage sprouting stage), NPK-13:00:45 (KNO3, at an interval of 15days from pink bud stage) and NPK-00:00:50 (K2SO4, at an interval of 15days from walnut-fruit development stage) either 3 or 2 times based upon WSF version along with 5 levels of NPK soil fertilization. Different factor levels included the schedule in RCBD factorial matrix as T1: 100% of the blanket Recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF, NPK-70:35:70)+foliar WSF, T2: 87.5% RDF+ foliar WSF, T3: 75% RDF+ foliar WSF, T4: 62.5% RDF+ foliar WSF, T5: 50% RDF+ foliar WSF, and T6: Control (NPK-RDF soil fertilizers+ water spray). Foliar fertilization with T4 significantly affected phenological and pomological traits as well as leaf nutrients concentration. According to DOP and ΣDOP indexes, the excessive leaf N, P, K and Mg, and the deficiency of Ca, and micronutrient concentrations was noticed. DOP indexing showed that foliar supplementation with the investigated preparation resulted in an increase in N, P, K and Mg concentration in the leaves. ‘Oregon Spur’ apples exhibited better balanced nutritional values as compared to ‘Royal Delicious’, confirmed the better adaptation of ‘Spur’ apples to acidic soils associated with tree vigourness than ‘Delicious’ apples. Principal component analysis (PCA) also worked out the differences induced at various fertilizer treatments. It is concluded that foliar WSF supplemented along with 62.5% of RDF of soil NPK fertilizers at foliage sprouting, flowering and fruit set stage at 15days’ interval resulted in better cropping behavior and fruit yield compared to traditional soil fertilization in dry temperate ecosystem.

Effects of economically important virus diseases on the expression of some pomological traits and nutritional compounds in GM plum cultivar HoneySweet (Prunus domestica L.)

Economically important viruses infect plums and other stone fruits cause lower yields, fruit size and quality and also affect its chemical composition. Fruits of the genetically modified (GM) plum ‘HoneySweet’ growing on trees deliberately infected with Plum pox virus (PPV), Prune dwarf virus (PDV) and Apple chlorotic leaf-spot virus (ACLSV) were analysed in detail to determine what effects these virus infections have on selected pomological traits, dissolved solids and titratable acids. Assessments of the fruits were made in the years from 2011 to 2014. The GM plum ‘HoneySweet’ was chosen for this experiment, and uninfected trees of the same variety in the same orchard were used as control. It was shown that there was no effect on dissolved solids resulting from PPV infections, either alone or in combination with the other viruses, but that there was a significant effect on levels of titratable acids where trees had been inoculated with all three viruses (treatment I). Regarding pomological traits, in most cases there were no significant effects seen to affect internal characteristics, only that in the assessments were lower although still of an acceptable quality for commercial fruit.

Screening of exotic and indigenous apple rootstocks for different horticultural traits

An experiment was carried out to find the suitable exotic as well as indigenous apple rootstocks for temperate zone of India. The rootstocks were screened on the basis of 11 important pomological traits. The data revealed that maximum numbers of primary and secondary roots were noted of 93.40, 92.76 in MM.106 and USA 106 and 92.0 noted in CITHrootstock- 01, respectively. Maximum length of primary roots (19.83cm) was recorded of EMLA 106 whereas shortest primary roots (6.47 cm) were recorded of ALNARP. The longest secondary roots (11.83cm) were found in M.27 and shortest secondary roots (2.10 cm) in ALNARP rootstock. Most of the indigenous apple rootstocks were having short to medium length of secondary roots. Leaf area was recorded highest (3.80cm2) in CITH-Apple rootstock-04 and smallest (1.96 cm2) of USA- 106. All the evaluated rootstocks have pink colored petiole except B-9, which has dark red color. Highest collar rot incidence was observed in M- 27 and M-26 and least in indigenous root stocks (CITH-Apple rootstocks). Highest wooly aphid infection was found in M-9, B-9, M-27, EMLA-106 and ALNARP whereas least infestation noted in M-26 and indigenous apple rootstock (CITH-ARS-01, CITH-ARS-02, CITH-ARS-03, CITH-ARS-04, CITH-ARS-, CITH-ARS-09 and CITH-ARS-10). Primary root length has positive correlation with secondary root numbers, secondary root length and leaf petiole length but negative correlation with leaf area.SAARC J. Agri., 14(2): 117-125 (2016)

Genetic Diversity Analysis of Coffee (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Coffee arabica&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; L.) Germplasm Accessions Growing in the Southwestern Saudi Arabia Using Quantitative Traits

Coffee (Coffea arabica) is an economically important crop cultivated on the terraced slopes and narrow valleys of the mountains in the south-western Saudi Arabia. The objective of the study was to evaluate genetic diversity among nineteen coffee accessions collected from different coffee growing areas based on quantitative morphological and pomological traits. Data of 17 quantitative traits were collected and subjected to various statistical analyses. The analysis of variance showed significant differences (P < 0.05) among the accessions for the majority of quantitative traits measured. A principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were used to determine the nature and degree of divergence among accessions. PCA showed that four principal components explained about 85.62% of the total variation. Differentiation of germplasm into different clusters was because of cumulative effects of a number of characters. Cluster and distance analysis of quantitative traits revealed the existence of five different groups. The maximum distance was seen between clusters IV and V (76.4) while the minimum was seen between I and II (16.13). Accessions like KSA6 and KSA8 from Tallen valley and KSA10 and KSA11 from Hada and Shada valleys collection are recommenced for the next breeding work as they are high yielder accessions compared to the others. However, it is suggested to complete the present results by additional assessment of the in situ collection and variety trials. These results are of great interest for future breeding programs for this species.

Generative developments and pomological traits of apple (Malus x domestica Borkh.) scion cultivars canopy on dwarf clonal rootstocks in dry temperate ecosystem of north-west Himalayas

The investigations were undertaken to study the generative developments of thirteen scion cultivars grafted onto four dwarfing rootstock clones viz., EMLA.111, EMLA.7, MM.111 and BUD.9 for pomological traits in dry temperate ecosystem of north-west Himalaya of India. Comparing scion cultivars after 7 years of planting, the survival was recorded maximum for ‘Gale Gala’ grafted onto EMLA.111 and the poorest for ‘Oregon Spur-II’ grafted onto BUD.9 rootstock clone. EMLA.111 and EMLA.7 performed very well with “Gale Gala” and ‘Golden Spur’ with regard to agro-morphometric traits and elevated yield efficiency. The growth vigor of trees grafted onto EMLA.111 and EMLA.7 was larger than those on BUD.9. After seventh harvest season, the rootstock and scion cultivar significantly affected TCSA, TCV, CA, root suckering, yield efficiency and fruit size. Maximum TCSA, TCA and CA were recorded in scion cultivar grafted onto EMLA.111. The greatest root suckering was developed from EMLA.111 (Gibson Golden) and EMLA.7 (Red Gravenstein, Sparton), and the least in EMLA.111 (Gale Gala). Correlation analysis of different attributes representing the pomological traits also resulted in a significant association at alpha=0.05 attribute pairs. PCA of pomological and fruit quality traits was also worked out to evaluate the differences among scion cultivars tested on different dwarfing rootstock clones. PC4 accounted for 93.9% (pomological traits) and 80.6% (fruit quality) of the cumulative variance of scion cultivars studied. PCA-F1 had the highest positive loadings from plant height, tree girth, TCSA, and TCV followed by PCA-F2 (fruit yield and cumulative fruit yield). Further, no significant differences were obtained when the calculated factor scores of PCA-F1, PCA-F2 and PCA-F3 for fruit quality attributes were analyzed. The study inferred that the ability of the rootstock clones to perform better than current commercial standards, while, promoting orchard health and productivity with enhanced insect-pest and disease resistance.

Pomological diversity of the Italian blood orange germplasm

Blood oranges have been cultivated in Italy since the early 19th century. Growers and breeders were able to identify and collect many somatic mutants, which differed in their major pomological traits, such as fruit size and firmness, pulp and peel pigmentation, and ripening period.Recently, in the framework of a genetic resource conservation program, most of the accessions collected at CREA in recent decades were planted in a single block to evaluate their characteristics. The presence of many selections in the same block, of the same age and grafted on the same rootstock is extremely important for a reliable characterization of the pomological characters, particularly pigmentation, which is strongly influenced by both the environment and the rootstock. The collection consists of 88 genotypes, including old lines and nucellar selections. Some commercial Tarocco, Moro and Sanguinello varieties were also included in the collection to facilitate comparison among clones. Moreover, the pomological features of 20 elite Tarocco clones cultivated nearby in the same experimental station were used as a further reference. The pomological characterization, based on 13 traits and performed in two consecutive years, revealed significant variability. Some genotypes showed strong year-to-year variability, mainly in fruit pigmentation, probably due to different climatic conditions during winter. Similarly, other traits such as fruit size, total soluble solids and acidity also varied among and within the varietal groups. These findings have a potential utility in identifying promising clones, which might fulfil the growing market needs such as higher anthocyanin content and longer shelf life.

Caracterización pomológica y fisicoquímica de Tamarindus indica (tamarindo) en la Estación de Investigaciones en Horticultura Subtropical en Miami, Florida

El tamarindo (Tamarindus indica L.) es un árbol perenne de tamaño grande que pertenece a la familia Fabaceae (Leguminosae). Sus frutos se consumen frescos, procesados en una pasta, que se utiliza como especia, hecho en una bebida, y se utilizan para el curtido de pieles. A pesar de que estas especies comercialmente importantes tienen una amplia distribución geográfica, la investigación sobre el tamarindo es escasa. Por lo tanto, el propósito de nuestra investigación fue caracterizar 13 genotipos de tamarindo en el Repositorio Nacional de Germoplasma (SHRS, por sus siglas en inglés) en Miami, Florida, EE.UU., y determinar si los rasgos físicos y pomológicos de esta colección, de hecho, reflejan la diversidad genética dentro de esta especie de árboles frutales. Este trabajo se realizó en SHRS en Miami, Florida. La diversidad pomológica de 13 genotipos de tamarindo se analizó basado en 18 rasgos cualitativos y cuantitativos. Análisis de componentes principales realizados en los rasgos cuantitativos mostraron un importante grado de variabilidad de alrededor del 72% para los tres primeros componentes principales. Se construyó un dendrograma basado en distancias medias. El análisis de conglomerados agrupa todos los genotipos de tamarindo en tres grupos principales ('A', 'B' y 'C'). El grupo 'B' incluye los genotipos predominantemente de color marrón con pulpa dulce y semidulce marrón oscuro y del Sudeste de Asia (Tailandia y Filipinas); los individuos del grupo B fueron entonces agrupados en subgrupos 'B1', B2', 'B3', y 'B4'. Genotipos semi-agrio se agruparon en el grupo 'A' y el genotipo agrio en el grupo C. El grupo 'B' contenía una colección de genotipos predominantemente caracterizados por pulpa dulce y oscura, y el tamaño de los frutos más pequeños. Mientras que los genotipos agrios se caracterizan por árboles de pulpa ácida y de otras regiones (Australia, Brasil, India y el Caribe). Detectamos la diversidad genética moderada entre estos genotipos de tamarindo. Esta información podría ser utilizada como base para la selección durante el mejoramiento genético de los genotipos de tamarindo.

Pomological Traits, Sensory Profile and Nutraceutical Properties of Nine Cultivars of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) Fruits Grown in Mediterranean Area.

In this paper the diversity of fruit quality within nine loquat cultivars, including five international affirmed cultivars (Algerie, Golden Nugget, Peluche, Bueno, El Buenet) and four local cultivars (Sanfilippara, Nespolone di Trabia, BRT20 and Claudia), were investigated in order to discriminate the variation in pomological characteristics, sensory profile, and antioxidant properties. Finally, to evaluate potential bioactivity, antiproliferative activity of hydrophilic extracts from loquat fruits was assessed, at dietary relevant concentrations, against three human epithelial cell lines. Even though the international cultivars confirmed an appropriate level of commercial qualities in association to high levels in antioxidant compounds, the local cultivars revealed the best performances in a wide range of chemical-physical and sensory characteristics. Concerning bioactivity, our results indicate that hydrophilic extracts from all tested cultivars showed concentration-dependent antiproliferative activity with a significant variability of effects between different cell lines and between different cultivars. HeLa cells, the most sensitive and hydrophilic extracts from Peluche, showed the highest inhibitory effect followed by Nespolone di Trabia and Claudia. The results of this trial provide useful information on the pomological traits and the not yet known specific nutritional and functional properties of loquat fruits. Our data, besides helping to promote specific local cultivars, could serve to establish a database that will permit to improve the utilization of specific genetic resources in breeding programs.

Selection of promising chestnuts (Castanea sativa) among wild growing trees from southern Mediterranean region forests of Turkey

Turkey ranked third place in the world for chestnut production after China and South Korea and the country has unique chestnut forests including valuable and diverse chestnut genotypes. This study was conducted to select superior chestnut genotypes within seedling populations found in natural wild grown chestnut forest located in Isparta province in Turkey during 2010–2011 years. A total of 2500 wild grown chestnut trees were examined on the field first year and among them the most promising 22 genotypes were chosen according to relatively high yield capacity, earliness, tolerance to chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica), ink disease (Phytopthora cambivora), and fruit quality characteristics. The selected 22 genotypes were evaluated for their detailed morphological, phenological and pomological traits in 2010 and 2011. According to average of 2 years, nut weight, the number of nut per kilogram, nut width, nut length, nut height and nut shell thickness of 22 promising genotypes ranged from 10.26 to 22.32 g, 97.47 to 44.80/kg, 26.80 to 42.47, 16.92 to 25.91, 27.74 to 39.73, and 0.26 to 1.01 mm, respectively. The ash, crude protein, and total fat content of kernels were between 0.85 to 1.94, 3.69 to 7.06 and 1.32 to 4.52, respectively. The genotypes were evaluated with weighted ranking method and the highest general quality score was observed in genotypes of IY17, IY01, IY42, IY43 and IY12.

Assessment of Nutritional Potency and Pomological Traits in the Wild and Cultivated Varieties of Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae)

Nutrient composition in the fruits of cultivated and wild varieties of M. charantia viz, M. charantia var. charantia and var. muricata were evaluated to prioritize the wild accessions suitable for crop improvement programme. The nutritive value of the varieties were assessed in terms of the quantity of proteins, carbohydrate, vitamins, total sugar, reducing and non-reducing sugar and minerals like Na, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn. The wild variety was found superior than the cultivar in terms of their nutrient content. The study recognized MC12, as the elite germplasm with highest concentration of Vit. E, B2, Cu and Ca and the accession MC10 as a rich source of carbohydrate, non-reducing sugar and Vit. B1. The accessions MC2, MC7, and MC15 were superior having higher concentration of protein, Vit. C and reducing sugar respectively. Correlation analysis was carried out to determine the relationship between fruit traits and nutrient composition. UPGMA dendrogram analysis suggests that the nutritional variation in the accessions was not determined by the fruit and seed morphology. However, a direct relationship between the nutrient contents and the fruit traits viz, fruit weight, length and fruit diameter was observed. The study recommends the accessions like MC12, MC7, MC10, and MC15 with high nutrient composition for bitter gourd breeding programme. The study emphasizes the conservation of the wild species, the rich sources of nutrients for crop improvement programme.

QTL mapping of pomological traits in peach and related species breeding germplasm

Peach is an economically important fruit tree crop that exhibits high phenotypic variability yet suffers from diversity-limited gene pool. Genetic introgression of novel alleles from related species is being pursued to expand genetic diversity. This process is, however, challenging and requires the incorporation of innovative genomic and statistical tools to facilitate efficient transfer of these exotic alleles across the multiple generations required for introgression. In this study, pedigree-based analysis (PBA) in a Bayesian QTL mapping framework was applied to a diverse peach pedigree introgressed with almond and other related Prunus species. The aim was to investigate the genetic control of eight commercially important fruit productivity and fruit quality traits over two subsequent years. Fifty-two QTLs with at least positive evidence explaining up to 98 % of the phenotypic variance across all trait/year combinations were mapped separately per trait and year. Several QTLs exhibited variable association with traits between years. By using the peach genome sequence as a reference, the intrachromosomal positions for several QTLs were shown to differ from those previously reported in peach. The inclusion of introgressed germplasm and the explicit declaration of the genetic structure of the pedigree as covariate in PBA enhanced the mapping and interpretation of QTLs. This study serves as a model study for PBA in a diverse peach breeding program, and the results highlight the ability of this strategy to identify genomic resources for direct utilization in marker-assisted breeding.