Morphological characterization of guggal (Commiphora wightii) provenances from extremely arid parts of India

Abstract

Commiphora wightii is one of the major guggal gum-resin producing species in India. It has never been brought under cultivation and the species is now considered endangered. Growth performances and morphological parameters were assessed during 2008 and 2009 at Jaisalmer, in the hyper arid part of India, for five provenances of Commiphora wightii, viz., Dantiwara, Mangaliawas, Kukma-Bhuj, Bhind-Murena, and Jaisalmer local. Observations revealed a significant amount of variation for plant height, stem girth, number of branches per plant, crown spread, leaflet shape, and 100 seed weight. The provenances have shown measurable growth responses, which were sufficient for a conclusive remark. Such variation among different populations may be due to different intensities of natural selection acting upon the traits in their natural habitat. Results of this study are important for the conservation of the genetic variation of the species and for future improvement schemes: they indicate that genetic differences exist among provenances of guggal (Commiphora wightii), with Jaisalmer local, Mangaliawas, and Dantiwara showing satisfactory performance for cultivation in arid parts of India.