Variability studies in avocado (Persia americana Mill.) using physico-chemical properties

Abstract

Introduction – An attempt was made to analyze the morphological and molecular diversity in avocado (Persia americana Mill.) populations collected from different regions of India, using multivariate. Materials and methods – Morphological traits were recorded and evaluated for variance and mean comparisons. The top four traits contributing to economic value were used to arrive at selection of plus trees for further use. Sequence Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) molecular markers were used for generating information on genetic variation and relationships among the accessions. Results and discussion – Significant variation was found in fruit-related morphological characters and fruit quality traits. The different avocado accessions were successfully categorized through combined analysis into various clusters based on genetic diversity and also established relatedness among them. Conclusion – This work would go a long way in characterization, identification and selection of parents in breeding programmes of this exotic crop.