Determination of morphological diversity for seed and seedling characteristics in citrus rootstocks

Abstract

Citrus is an important fruit crop worldwide for its commercial and medicinal values. The successful cultivation of the citrus is depends on potentiality of the rootstock. In the present study, six rootstocks were morphologically characterized to assess the diversity at seeds and seedling stage. Among the rootstocks analyzed, CRH-12 is found better overall performance regarding to the seed parameters. Regarding to the seedlings and leaf characters, NRC-03 and Trifoliate type rootstocks were found better in unifoliate and trifoliate group respectively. The PCA analysis for morphological parameters of rootstocks revealed grouping of rootstocks according to the types. The clustering analysis based on morphological parameters of citrus rootstocks grouped them into two major groups according to seed and seedling characters. The Rangpur lime and Volkamericana is categorized in one grouped whereas CRH-12, CRH-47, Trifoliate orange and NRC-03 grouped in another group. The study can be undertaken for evaluating variation and association among citrus rootstocks which could provide beneficial information for further crop improvement programs in citrus at initial stage.