Physico-chemical Characterisation of Indigenous Mango Germplasm from the Foothills of Punjab, India

Abstract

Background: The foothills of Punjab harbour diverse mango germplasm. The indigenous seedling mangoes widely grow across the districts of Pathankot, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur. Due to their unique flavour, seedling mangoes are highly in demand for sucking, pickling and preparation of leather. However, these genotypes also exhibit unique morphological and biochemical fruit quality attributes which could be utilised in breeding programmes for varietal improvement. Aims: In line with this, the present study aims to analyse the physico-chemical attributes of thirty-one mango genotypes collected from the Dhar Kalan block of district Pathankot. Methods: The study was conducted in the Dhar Kalan block of the district Pathankot during the years 2023 and 2024. Fruit samples from thirty-one mango trees which revealed phenotypical variations were selected for the study. Average fruit weight, stone weight, pulp weight, pulp/stone ratio, fruit size, peel thickness, fruit colour, etc. were determined using standard methods. The genetic diversity among genotypes was estimated using principal component analysis. Results: The results showed significant variations for fruit morphology and quality among the different mango genotypes. The principal component analysis revealed that the attributes fruit weight, size, peel and stone weight exhibited maximum contribution to the total variation. Conclusion: The morphological characterisation of different genotypes may serve as a foundation for further investigation involving the molecular characterisation of genotypes. These may be used for selection and breeding programmes for crop improvement.