Fruit Width Research Articles

Genetic Divergence Studies of Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria (MOL.) STANDL.) in Garo Hills Region of Meghalaya

The present investigation was carried out at Horticultural Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, North Eastern Hill University, Tura Campus, Chasingre, Meghalaya, India during 2019 in a Randomized Block Design with three replications. Genetic divergence was assessed among thirty indegenous genotypes of bottle gourd for thirty-three quantitative characters using Mahalanobis’ D2 statistics. The genotypes were grouped into seven clusters. Maximum number of genotypes including seven genotypes was grouped in cluster IV (GHA-30, GHA-8, GHA-21, GHA-20, GHA-23, GHA-29 and GHA-25). Maximum inter-cluster distance was found between cluster I and cluster III (10.940) and minimum inter-cluster distance was recorded between cluster VII and cluster VI (7.425). Cluster IV showed highest cluster mean for maximum characters namely, number of primary branches (30.83), number of marketable fruit harvest (4.60), fruit width (15.24), fruit weight (3005.65), number of fruits per plant (17.92), total carbohydrate % (2.73), calcium mg/100g (11.95), yield of marketable fruits kg/plant (54.20) and yield t/ha (135.50). Cluster VII exhibited highest mean for five characters namely, vine length (461.93), days to last fruit harvest (158.77), number of leaves (217.13), seed length-breadth ratio (2.41) and ascorbic acid (9.55). Cluster I and Cluster II exhibited highest mean for five characters, sex ratio (0.74), number of seeds per fruit (449.65), 100 seed weight (13.43), total soluble protein % (0.95) and total phenols % (44.04). In the present study it was found that Cluster I (GHA-4, GHA-2, GHA-5 and GHA-1) was highly divergent from all other genotypes.

Identification of QTLs involved in destemming and fruit quality for mechanical harvesting of New Mexico pod-type green chile.

Domestic production of pepper (Capsicum spp.) is shrinking while demand within the US is growing. Lack of availability and cost of labor often present an obstacle for domestic producers both practically and economically. As a result, switching to harvesting peppers mechanically is anticipated as a key strategy to help domestic producers compete in the international market. Mechanical harvest efficiency can be improved through breeding. One important trait that mechanical harvest compatible material should have is an easy destemming trait: low force separation of the pedicel and calyx from the fruit. To detect the genetic sources underlying a novel easy destemming trait for the purpose of future breeding efforts in New Mexico pod-type green chile, we performed QTL analysis on three F2:F3 populations, coming from three New Mexico pod-type varieties: 'NuMex Odyssey,' 'NuMex Iliad,' and 'NuMex Joe E. Parker,' each crossed with a parent with an easy destemming trait: MUC14. Genotyping was done through genotyping by sequencing (GBS) and phenotyping was done for destemming and fruit trait measurements. Correlations between measurements were found through the R package hmisc and QTL analysis was done through R/qtl. A strong relationship was seen between destemming and aspects of fruit morphology, particularly, destemming force and fruit width (Pearson's correlation coefficient r=0.75). Major QTLs for destemming and fruit size were discovered. Of these, the largest destemming force QTLs for all populations (PVE=34.5-69.9%) were on chromosome 10, and in two populations QTLs for destemming force were found on chromosome 3 (Percent Variance Explained (PVE)=10.7-18.8%). Fruit size-related QTLs in all populations colocalized in these same areas on chromosomes 3 and 10. This suggests that fruit shape may be genetically linked to destemming, and breeders interested in selecting for easy destemming pepper will also have to pay attention to fruit size and shape.

Morphological and agronomical characterization of beef type tomato hybrids

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops and agro-morphological characterization has a key role in the development of new varieties. In this study, 228 samples of the tomato hybrid type “Beef” (Solanum lycopersicum L.) were characterized by comparing with 11 standard varieties based on 24 quantitative traits and 2 qualitative traits to reveal the phenotypic diversity by using conventional descriptors proposed by IPGRI (1996) and UPOV (2011). A significant level of variability was found in most of the traits studied among the genotypes in two locations. A high level of broad-sense heritability (H2) was detected for many traits such as the number of fruits, firmness, immature fruit color, stem length up to the first inflorescence, total height, and number of days to the first flowering in both locations. There was a highly significant positive correlation among the color values (L*, a*, b*, c*, h*) but no positive correlation between a* and h*. Number of locule had a positive correlation with fruit width and fruit weight, and a positive correlation was determined between fruit length and pericarp thickness in both locations. While fruit weight had a highly significant negative correlation with the number of fruits and number of flowers, there was a highly significant negative correlation between the number of locules and the fruit length-to-width ratio in both locations. Results of PCA showed that PC1 and PC2 accounted for around 15.6% and 13.7% of total variation and 13.8% and 11.8% of total variation for Location 1 and Location 2, respectively. The first five principal components accounted for around 54.2% of the total variation for Location 1 and 48.2% of the total variation for Location 2. Cluster analysis grouped the 239 genotypes under six cluster groups for Location 1 and seven cluster groups for Location 2. Results of the cluster analysis revealed that Cluster 3 for Location 1 and Cluster 2 for Location 2 had prominent genotypes for some of the agronomically important traits like yield. The results showed that present phenotypic diversity could be useful in the selection of best-performing genotypes, which would be important candidates for the beef red tomato market in the spring season.

Exploring Gene Action Underlying Post-Harvest Water Loss in Fresh Market Peppers

The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic effects involved in post-harvest water loss of C. baccatum fruits and to correlate fruit morphological characteristics. Fruits of eight landraces of C. baccatum and their twenty-eight hybrids were evaluated in a randomized, complete block design. Analysis of variance, diallel analysis, phenotypic and genotypic correlation, and path analysis for eight fruit traits were performed. Fruit width, fruit length, dry matter content, and fruit wall thickness were determined by additive gene effects. On the other hand, the non-additive effects played more important role than additive ones, including water loss, cuticle thickness, exocarp thickness, and total soluble solids. The relationship of fruit traits suggested that indirect selection can be carried out from field experiments under different environmental conditions. Overall, genitors 4, 24, 50, and 56 should be selected to form new populations to improve these traits. The Brazilian pepper landraces of C. baccatum species are a source of genetic variability for plant breeders, and the new segregating populations emerging through the crossing of pepper lines with reduced water loss should be developed, opening new ways for conventional breeding.

DEVELOPMENT OF SELECTION CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION OF HOT PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUM L) GENOTYPE RESILIENT TO CLIMATE CHANGE

The hot pepper chilli, scientifically referred to as Capsicum spp., is globally recognized for its extensive use in cooking and industry. However, rising temperatures due to changing climate conditions are impacting crop yields by affecting pollen viability, as well as the setting and size of the fruit. To combat this, fifteen hot pepper genotypes were assessed to determine which one is most resilient to these climatic challenges. The results indicated that the VRIHP006 genotype exhibited the highest fruit setting and pollen viability percentage among the hot pepper genotypes, with an impressive 86% at optimal temperature and 36.4% under elevated temperatures followed by VRIHP001 and VRIHP004. The data of seed No. fruit-1, fruit length (cm), and fruit width (mm) manifested that genotypes that had less impact of temperature on fruit setting and pollen viability also maintained seed No. fruit-1, fruit length (cm) and fruit width. The Heat susceptibility indices also supported the above selection criteria.

Studies on genetic variability and character association in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)

The present investigation entitled with studies on genetic variability and character association in brinjal (Solanum melongena L). The experiment was carried at Horticulture complex, Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh.The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications and each replication consisted of 20 genotypes. The results revealed that the Genotype 2013/BRBWRES-4 recorded the maximum plant height. The maximum branches per plant (9.24) were recorded in genotype SM-6-7. Early flowering was observed in Kashi Tarun (C) (26.33 days).Genotype Kashi Tarun was earliest for days to first picking. Maximum length of fruiting period was observed in genotype 2013/BRLVAR-2 (105.00 days). Genotype 2013/BRLVAR-4 produced considerably more 3.11 flowers per cluster. Maximum number of fruits per cluster was observed in 2013/BRLVAR-4 (2.88), The maximum number of fruits per plant was observed in 2013/ BRLVAR-5,Genotype 2013/BRBWRES-2 produced considerably long fruit (25.52), Genotype 2013/BRBWRES-2 produced considerably long fruit (25.52), Fruit width was recorded maximum in 2013/BRLVAR-3 (6.51 cm), The heaviest fruit were observed in genotype 2013/BRBWES-4 (168.46 g). Highest days were observed in genotype Arka Nidhi (RC) (185). Highest days were observed in genotype Arka Kusumkar (SC) (235.00), Maximum fruit yield per plant was recorded in genotype 2013/BRBWRES-1 (1235.00 g),The maximum fruit yield was recorded in genotype 2013/BRBWRES-1 (458.49 q/ha).

Assessment of Foliar Application of Biostimulants and Silicon on Yield and Yield Attributing Characters of Mango (Mangifera indica l.) CV. Kesar

The present investigation was carried out at Fruit Research Station, Sakkarbaug, Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh during 2020-21 and 2021-22. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with Factorial concept consisting two factors with three replications. The treatment comprised with biostimulants viz., without biostimulant, humic acid (1.5 %), panchagavya (3 %), seaweed extract (0.2 %), novel organic liquid fertilizer (2 %) and silicon i.e., without silicon, potassium silicate (0.2 %) and orthosilicic acid (0.2 %). The results of the study indicated that among the different biostimulants application of humic acid 1.5 % and among the different silicon application of potassium silicate 0.2 % was recorded with minimum number of nubbins per 100 fruits at pea (20.42 and 22.52) and marble stage (10.67 and 12.80) and maximum fruits retention at harvesting (2.03 and 1.85 %), number of fruits per tree (213.71 and 195.52), fruit yield (50.78 and 45.14 kg/tree), fruit length (10.60 and 10.39 cm), fruit breadth (6.67 and 6.55 cm), fruit weight (234.58 and 226.24 g), pulp weight (175.87 and 168.79 g) and pulp: stone ratio (5.16 and 5.07) during pooled analysis, respectively. In the present investigation some of the interaction effects were also found significant. The combined application of humic acid 1.5 % with potassium silicate 0.2 % recorded maximum number of fruits per tree (235.57), fruit yield (60.42 kg/tree), fruit length (11.06 cm), fruit breadth (96.86 cm), fruit weight (254.71 g) and pulp weight (192.61 g) during pooled analysis. It can be concluded that for improved yield and yield attributing characters with foliar application of humic acid 1.5 % along with potassium silicate 0.2 % at initiation of flowering, pea and marble stage.

Effect of Foliar Application of Nano Urea, Boron and Zinc Sulphate on Growth Fruit Yield and Quality of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) cv. Winter Dawn

The present experiment was conducted at Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj. Prayagraj during the session 2023 - 2024. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replications, and the study consists of Ten treatment combinations including control by using different Effect of Foliar Application of Nano Urea, Boron and Zinc sulphate On Growth Fruit Yield and Quality of Strawberry. The best treatment was T9 (Nano urea 1.5% + Zinc Sulphate 0.6% + Boron 0.6%) &T8 (Nano urea 1.5% + Zinc Sulphate 0.4% + Boron 0.4%) which shows highest values in all the parameters viz., Petiole length 90 DAT (10.00 cm), number of leaf/plant (36.95), plant spread N-S (cm) (35.69 cm), plant spread E-W (cm) (32.01 cm), runner production/plant (8.56), Fruit length (mm) (62.50 mm), Fruit width (39.67 mm), Fresh weight (g) (31.86), Number of fruit/plant (17.52), Fruit yield/ha. (54.79 q), TSS (11.29 brix), Vitamin C (50.83 mg/100 g), Acidity (0.57%). All the treatments were significantly superior in their growth, flowering, fruit yield and quality of strawberry over control (T0) and (T9).

FruitPhenoBox – a device for rapid and automated fruit phenotyping of small sample sizes

BackgroundFruit appearance of apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) is accession-specific and one of the main criteria for consumer choice. Consequently, fruit appearance is an important selection criterion in the breeding of new cultivars. It is also used for the description of older varieties or landraces. In commercial apple production, sorting devices are used to classify large numbers of fruit from a few cultivars. In contrast, the description of fruit from germplasm collections or breeding programs is based on only a few fruit from many accessions and is mostly performed visually by pomology experts. Such visual ratings are laborious, often difficult to compare and remain subjective.ResultsHere we report on a morphometric device, the FruitPhenoBox, for automated fruit weighing and appearance description using computer-based analysis of five images per fruit. Recording of approximately 100 fruit from each of 15 apple cultivars using the FruitPhenoBox was rapid, with an average handling and recording time of less than eleven seconds per fruit. Comparison of fruit images from the 15 apple cultivars identified significant differences in shape index, fruit width, height and weight. Fruit shape was characteristic for each cultivar, while fruit color showed larger variation within sample sets. Assessing a subset of 20 randomly selected fruit per cultivar, fruit height, width and weight were described with a relative margin of error of 2.6%, 2.2%, and 6.2%, respectively, calculated from the mean value of all available fruit.ConclusionsThe FruitPhenoBox allows for the rapid and consistent description of fruit appearance from individual apple accessions. By relating the relative margin of error for fruit width, height and weight description with different sample sizes, it was possible to determine an appropriate fruit sample size to efficiently and accurately describe the recorded traits. Therefore, the FruitPhenoBox is a useful tool for breeding and the description of apple germplasm collections.

Seed Characteristics and Seedling Quality of Selected Teak Clones in Eastern India

Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) is one of the important timbers of the world and is honoured as the ‘King’ of Indian timbers. It is grown in large scale by people in farm forestry and agroforestry programme and also by various agencies. To understand the characteristics of seeds and the quality of seedlings raised from seeds of selected teak clones, an investigation was carried out. Fruits were collected from 25 clones of teak grown at Silviculture Research Station, Koshala, Angul, Odisha (India) and tested at College of Forestry, Odisha University of Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar (India). Experiments were carried out under Completely Randomized Design with 3 replications. Significant variation in fruit characteristics such as fruit length, fruit width, 100 fruit weight, number of seeds per fruit, fruit viability and germination percent was observed. Fruit length varied from 1.08 to 1.57cm and ORANP-4 produced longest fruit while MHALA-7 had minimum value. Fruit width differed from 1.20 to 2.58cm and the highest width was recorded in ORAN-1 (1.58 cm) and lowest in MHALA- 7. Weight of 100 fruits ranged from 34.28 to 56.64g and ORAN-1 recorded maximum fruit weight which was at par with MHALP-9 (54.23 g) while ORPUB -13 registered the minimum value which statistically similar to MHALA-7. Number of seeds per fruit varied from 3.10 to 4.00. Fruit viability varied from 47.56 to 70.38% and ORAN-4 excelled in viability and remained statistically at par with ORPUB-23, MHALA-9 and ORANR-6. Germination percent of fruit varied from 30.5 to 49.50% and ORANP-4 recorded maximum germination percent, but it was statistically similar to MHALA-9 and ORANR-6. The growth and quality of seedlings raised from the open pollinated seeds of clones also exhibited significant difference. MHALA-9 excelled over others with regard to collar diameter, height, number of leaves, shoot weight, root weight and quality of seedling in 15 month of assessment in nursery. It recorded seedling quality index of 16.41 at the age of 15 month.

Studies on Heterozsis Breeding in Brinjal Germplasm for Growth and Yield Traits, Solanum melongena L.

Brinjal, Solanum melongena L. is one of the commercial annual vegetables grown all over India for its edible fruits. Heterosis in vegetable crops helps to exploit the superior hybrids based on its phenotypic superiority over their parents and indicates predominance of non-additive genetic effects. This research was carried out at Department of Vegetable Science, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Periyakulam. The study involves six parents and thirty hybrids laid out in Randomised Block Design with two replications. The cross CO2 × Kothampatti Kathiri, obtained significant positive heterosis (16.53%) for plant height over better parent. Significant heterosis over mid parent was observed for number of branches in Kothampatti Kathiri × Odavai Pachai Kathiri, 33.33%, fruit width in Dharmapuri Oodha Kathiri × Poiyur Purple Kathiri, 25.54%, fruit length in Kothampatti Kathiri × Gobi Pachai Kathiri, 24.33%. Significant negative heterosis over better parent for number of days to 50% flowering was observed in the cross Odavai Pachai Kathiri × Gobi Pachai Kathiri, -9.25%. Significant positive heterosis over standard check was obtained for number of fruit per plant, 35.42% in the cross Dharmapuri Oodha Kathiri × CO2 and fruit yield per plant in Dharmapuri Oodha Kathiri × Odavai Pachai Kathiri, 21.54%. Heterosis exploited could be utilized in further crop improvement program in the development of a superior hybrid.

The prospects of intercropping of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) with other vegetables on sorjan system in vulnerable southern coastal saline and non-saline areas of Bangladesh

The demand for food in Bangladesh is increasing due to the increasing population. Land is the primary natural resource that affords habitat and sustenance for living beings. In Bangladesh, the coastal areas cover an area of 47,201 km2 or 32 % of the total land under 19 districts of Bangladesh. The coastal southern saline and non-saline areas are vulnerable to water logging conditions and farmers cannot grow any crops except dry season (rabi). However, in some areas, farmers are trying to use their indigenous technologies to combat natural disasters to ensure food security. For example, floating, sorjan or raised bed systems are potential and farmers are practicing in these areas. Among these techniques, the sorjan bed system is one of the potential techniques that is extensively used in southern Bangladesh, particularly water logging conditions to improve food security. To enhance the production and make land cultivation profitable, the experiments were carried out at the farmers’ fields under the sorjan system in consecutive two growing seasons. The sole crop was brinjal (cv. BARI Begun-12), BARI Lalshak-1 (cv. Red amaranth), BARI Dhania-1 (cv. Coriander leaf), Cauliflower (cv. Cold queen), Cabbage (cv. Equatoria) and Knol Khol were utilized as intercropping with brinjal. The treatments were i) Sole brinjal, ii) Brinjal + Red amaranth, iii) Brinjal + Coriander leaf, iv) Brinjal + Cauliflower, v) Brinjal + Cabbage, and vi) Brinjal +. 24-day-old seedlings of the BARI Begun-12 grown in a nursery bed were transferred to the plots where the seeds of Red amaranth and Coriander leaf were directly sown. However, the seedlings of Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Knol Khol were also transplanted to the field after one week of transplanting brinjal. The results exposed that sole crops had the highest results in terms of days to flowering, days to first fruit set, days to first harvesting, leaf area, fruit length, fruit breadth, single fruit weight, fruits plant−1, fruit yield, TSS %, and dry matter %. In both years, brinjal exhibited the highest yield as the sole crop compared to intercropping. 48.12 t/ha and 46.27 t/ha in the first and second cropping seasons, respectively. In the first cropping season, Red amaranth, Coriander leaf, Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Knol Khol performed with a yield of 10.12, 7.23, 23.14, 22.87, and 9.05 t/ha. During the second cropping season, the same crops exhibited a yield of 10.05, 7.01, 23.09, 22.68, and 9.98 t/ha. The highest land equivalent ratio, gross return, net return, and BCR were obtained from brinjal-cauliflower intercropping, which was 1.74, 1049300 BDT, 553820 BDT, and 2.12, respectively, in the 2021–2022 cropping season and 1.78, 1057900 BDT, 562010 BDT, and 2.13, respectively, in the next season in 2022–2023. This intercropping approach resulted in a higher land equivalent ratio, net return, and benefit-cost ratio of 1.76, 557915 BDT, and 2.125, respectively, over the average of two successive cropping seasons.

Integrated Nutrient Management in Muskmelon: A Comprehensive Field Study

The present study aims to describe the effects of integrated nutrient management (INM) on Madhumita variety of muskmelon cultivation in terms of plant growth, fruit yield, and quality. The experiment has been carried out in the crop field located in the North Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. This case study involved seven different treatments (T1 to T7), each with varying nutrient application regimes. Certain observational data, such as vine length, number of leaves per plant, leaf length, days to 50% flowering, number of fruits per plant, fruit length, fruit width, fruit weight, and fruit yield, were recorded for three replications over the course of the experiment. The results of statistical analysis revealed significant differences, with specific treatments demonstrating T6, which included Vermicompost at 5 tons/ha, 75% of the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), and 1% NOVEL prime organic liquid nutrient, consistently outperformed the other treatments groups. The findings highlight the utility of integrated nutrient management. It helps in understanding and optimizing the application of nutrients to boost crop productivity and promote sustainability.

Effective techniques to break seed dormancy in Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (Aiton) Hassk. for seed germination enhancement

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa is a valuable plant for medical and pharmaceutical uses. The plant reproduces through seeds; however, the seeds become dormant, resulting in low germination rates. The industrial demand for this plant is expanding, making sustainable propagation a major challenge. The present study aims to evaluate different techniques for breaking the dormancy of R. tomentosa seeds. A randomized design was used to evaluate different techniques for breaking the dormancy of R. tomentosa seeds, including de-operculum, chemical scarifications, and exogenous gibberellic acid (GA3), in both laboratory conditions at ambient temperature (25 ± 2 °C) and field conditions. The characteristics of R. tomentosa fruit and seeds were assessed. The average mass, width, and length of fruits were 1.90 g, 13.78 g, and 15.27 g, respectively. The average seed/ripe fruit contained 57 seeds, and the mass of 1000 seeds was 2.64 g. Seed viability (100 %) was achieved in the treatment with 0.075 % tetrazolium at 45 °C for 3 h, but a germinated seed was only 13.00 %. The study of breaking seed dormancy in laboratory conditions revealed that de-operculum significantly enhanced seed germination up to 83.00 % within 15 days, compared with control treatment of 13.00 % within 34 days (p ≤ 0.01). In contrast, 10 % KNO3 for 24 h under field conditions resulted in the highest seed germination rate of 91.00 % within 34 days, while de-operculum treatment showed 63.00 % of seed germination within 15 days. In addition, the seed water imbibition rate between control and de-operculum seeds was evaluated. The results demonstrated that the control seeds absorbed water more slowly than the de-operculum seeds, indicating that de-operculum promoted faster germination. The findings concluded that breaking seed dormancy is important for R. tomentosa seed germination. De-operculum and KNO3 were discovered to be effective ways of breaking seed dormancy in R. tomentosa.

Rootstock scion interaction studies on various horticultural attributes of pomato grafts under protected structures

Pomato is a horticultural wonder plant, as tomato and potato can be produced from a single plant. This experiment explored the influence of diverse graft combinations of tomato scions grafted onto potato rootstocks on various growth and yield-attributing traits. The investigation outcomes confirmed the significantly positive influence of scion grafted onto rootstock on various yielding attributes of tomato and potato harvested from pomato grafts. Scion “Rakshita” grafted onto the rootstock of Kufri Himalini had the maximum fruit length. In contrast, the fruits harvested from the graft combination of Avtar grafted onto Kufri Khyati had the maximum number of fruits per cluster and the number of fruits per plant. The highest average fruit weight, fruit yield per meter square, and total fruit yield quintal per hectare were recorded with control “Avtar. The longest harvest duration was noticed with the graft combination of Heemsohna grafted onto Kufri Himalini. Moreover, on, rootstock Kufri Himalini with scion Rakshita resulted in maximum tuber length, and average tuber weight, while Kufri Himalini with Avtar had maximum fruit width. The maximum number of tubers per plant was also noticed with Kufri Pukhraj with Palam Tomato hybrid −1. The potato harvested from the rootstock of Kufri Pukhraj with Avtar had the highest tuber yield per plant, total tuber yield quintal per hectare, and tuber equivalent yield. The highest survival percentage of grafted plants was noted in Heemsohna onto Kufri Jyoti. In context to the cumulative yield of tomato fruits and potato tubers obtained from the pomato graft was found to be incremented in grafts of Avtar grafted onto Kufri Pukhraj followed by Rakshita grafted onto Kufri Rakshita, which also resulted in the maximum benefit-cost ratio with highest net return and gross return. The graft combination of scion Avtar and Rakshita onto Rootstock Kufri Pukhraj resulted in a positive increment in yield attributing traits of the pomato plant than of control of un-grafted tomato and potato.

Description of The Phenotypic Characteristics of Some Tomato Genotypes

This study was carried out in order to determine some morphological characteristics of 240 tomato genotypes at S2 level and to demonstrate the usability of these materials in breeding programs. Accordingly, the average fruit weight was between 553.11 gr and 74.83 gr. The mean pericarp thickness, carpel number, and soluble dry matter content of the genotypes were 7.38 mm, 3.6 pieces and 4.04% brix, respectively. Based on these measurements and observations, tomato genotypes were also investigated using the Cluster and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) methods. According to the PCA results, the first component explained 24.1% of the total variance, and the number of fruit carpels, average fruit weight, and fruit width were the most highly explained parameters. The second and third main components constituted 13.06% and 11.16% of the total. Based on the results of fruit characterization studies, genotypes 233, 447, 126, 22, 391, 118, 71, 100, 340, 102 were determined as superior. Overall, A high degree of morphological variation was detected among the characterized tomato genotypes.

Morphological Characterization of Local Jinten Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L. M. Perry) in Wakasihu Village, West Leihitu District, Central Maluku Regency

Clove jinten are one of the local cloves cultivated in Wakasihu Village, West Leihitu District, Central Maluku Regency. Until now, there has not been much information about various studies related to the morphology of cloves Jinten. The research aims to analyze the morphological characters of local cloves jinten and identify the plant's descriptor characters. The research was carried out in Wakasihu Village, West Leihitu District, Central Maluku Regency, Maluku Province in January - May 2024. The research results based on Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) showed two large groups with a dissimilarity coefficient of 14.30% (similarity of 85.70%). Group I consisted of 4 accessions clustered with a dissimilarity coefficient of 12.80% (similarity 87.20%) and group II consisted of 26 accessions with a dissimilarity coefficient of 12.50% (similarity 87.50%). Group II in the grouping is also divided into two groups, namely group II-a which consists of 20 accessions with a dissimilarity coefficient of 11.80% (similarity 88.20%) and group II-b which consists of 6 accessions with a dissimilarity coefficient of 12% (similarity 88%). Characteristics of cloves jinten based on Principle Component Analysis (PCA) were obtained in the form of leaf length, leaf area, leaf stalk length, flower stalk length, fruit length, fruit width and fruit weight.

Morphological, phenotypic and nutritional characterization of exotic and local tomato germplasm under tunnel

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruit. By characterizing local germplasm, exclusive breeding material is successfully identified and improved varieties could be created. The research conducted between November 2020 and 2021 at the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) in Pakistan used developmental, vegetative and fruit traits to individualize sixty tomato inbred lines for 17 morphological traits. The study showed that 6 qualitative and 11 quantitative morphological traits exhibited a wide range of variation, while 8 traits showed a high coefficient of variation among genotypes according to biplot principal component analysis (PCA). According to biplot PCA, the first component contributed 17.6% of the variation, while the second component contributed 13.0%. Together, the first and second components explained 30.6% of the variation. A correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between genotypic traits and phenotypic traits. A very positive correlation was observed between inter-nodal distance, flower per cluster and immature fruit color. The morphological data for firmness, pericarp thickness, fruit width, TSS, inter-nodal distance, number of flowers and fruits per cluster showed specific characteristics that can be used to distinguish the genotypes. The highest value of lycopene of 21.2 mg kg−1 fresh weight was observed among the genotypes. We conclude the results of this study, presenting the crop quality and yield characteristics that could be used in future plant breeding and genetic enhancement of tomato germplasm for improved food security. Based on yield characteristics, Nyagous, Korneseivje and Earliana were selected as the best and most promising genotypes.

Screening and classification of rosehip (Rosa canina L.) genotypes based on horticultural characteristics

BackgroundDuring the pandemic, the interest in colorful wild small fruits increased due to their positive effects on health. Also it has become very important to offer species with high nutritional value as fresh or processed products for human consumption due to increasing world population and decreasing arable land. In this context, we characterized the horticultural characteristics of 11 rosehip genotypes grown from seeds.ResultsCitric acid was determined as the main organic acid in all the genotypes investigated. The mean values of the organic acids obtained from all the genotypes were found to be as follows: citric acid (7177 mg L–1), malic acid (3669 mg L–1), tartaric acid (1834 mg L–1), oxalic acid (1258 mg L–1), carboxylic acid (631.9 mg L–1), shikimic acid (157.8 mg L–1), ascorbic acid (155 mg L–1), and acetic acid (20.9 mg L–1). Ellagic acid was the dominant phenolic compound (90.1 mg L–1 – 96.2 mg L–1) in all genotypes. The average values obtained from all genotypes for total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were 37 261 mg GAE L–1, 526.2 mg quercetin L–1, and 93.6%, respectively. These characteristics had the lowest coefficients of variation, which indicated that all genotypes were similar regarding high biochemical with antioxidant effect. In addition, fruit width, fruit length, and fruit weight varied between 13.0 and 17.3 mm, 20.7 and 25.5 mm, and 1.4 and 2.7 g, respectively.ConclusionsThe genotypes were categorized according to different purposes, such as suitability for wine production, making vinegar, etc. While the pomological characteristics were strongly positively correlated among themselves, they were generally found to be negatively correlated with the phytochemical characteristics. Categorizing genotypes according to different usage purposes can improve the agricultural and industrial application of rosehip and enhance their breeding efficacy.

Assessment of foliar application of nutrients on yield and quality of guava (Psidium guajava)

Present study was carried out during rainy (kharif) seasons of 2020–2022 at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana to assess the effect of foliar application of nutrients on the yield and quality aspects of rainy season guava (Psidium guajava L.). Experiment was conducted in a randomized block design (RBD) comprised of 4 different foliar applications of zinc sulphate, viz. ZnSO4 @0% (Control); ZnSO4 @0.3%; ZnSO4 @0.6%; ZnSO4 @0.9%; and 4 foliar applications of potassium sulphate, viz. K2SO4 @0% (Control); K2SO4 @1.0%; K2SO4 @1.5%; and K2SO4 @2.0, and replicated thrice. However, foliar application of ZnSO4 @0.9% was found to be the best treatment in improving the fruit yield (46.2 kg/plant), fruit weight (135.2 g), fruit length (6.10 cm) and fruit breadth (5.64 cm) of rainy season guava (cv. L-49). Similarly, ZnSO4 @0.6% was found best for increasing the TSS (total soluble solids) (10.6 B) and ascorbic acid content (187.4 mg/100 g pulp). On the other hand, K2SO4 @2.0% increased the fruit yield (45.4 kg/plant), fruit weight (135.2 g) and ascorbic acid content (190.3 mg/100 g pulp) of guava fruit. The maximum N, P, K and Zn content for nutrient analysis in leaf was noted under foliar application of ZnSO4 @0.9% and K2SO4 @2.0%. The maximum N and Zn content in fruit was observed due to application of ZnSO4 @0.9% and maximum P and K content was observed with treatment ZnSO4 @0.6%. Similarly, K2SO4 @2.0% increased the N, P, K and Zn content of guava fruit.