Genetic diversity of pomegranate genotypes for important horticultural traits

Abstract

The present study assessed genetic relatedness based on 12 phenotypic traits among 60 pomegranate genotypes representing 20 indigenous and 40 exotic types. Per se, performance was measured for plant height, number of branches, thorn length, rind thickness, fruit weight, fruit length, fruit breath, etc. The phenotypic correlation coefficients were higher in magnitude than the genotypic correlation coefficients. Using principal component analysis, the first principal component (PC1) explained 28.73% of the total variance, mainly consisting of fruit breadth, length, and weight predominantly. In comparison, PC2 explained 21.28% variability, mainly including plant height and the number of branches and fruit length up to some extent. Further, PC3 and PC4 showed the remaining 15.16% and 11.48%, respectively, for traits like, thorn length, number of stems, and rind thickness. A phylogenetic tree constructed based on phenotypic characteristics by applying Squared Euclidean Distance and group average clustering method showed two diverse groups. However, it partially divided the genotypes based on their type into two significant groups or clusters. The present results could be further utilized for screening parents for a particular trait in future breeding programs.