Analysis of Genotypic Variation and Selection of Superior Genotypes of Balanites roxburghii Planch. from South India

Abstract Balanites roxburghii is an important medicinal plant of India and is used in the treatment of various diseases and disorders. Seeds possess a high amount of oil and could be used in biodiesel production. This plant is also a source of diosgenin, a therapeutically useful compound. Domestication of this plant provides opportunities for the commercial production of those valuable products. Hence the present study was planned to assess the variability of B. roxburghii in Southern India and identifying the superior genotypes based on the morphological characterization. A total of 45 accessions from 35 populations were collected and variation in 9 quantitative and 3 qualitative morphological traits related to fruits was analyzed. Fruit weight showed the highest variation, ranging from 10.23 g in the accession KA-04C to 37.69 g in TN-03. Pulp weight was ranged from 1.71 g in KA-04C to 10.24 g in TN-03. Seed kernel weight was highest in TE-04 (3.87 g) followed by KA-04A (3.21 g) and TE-05A (2.98 g). PCA analysis showed that fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width, pulp weight, rind weight, and endocarp weight were the major traits contributing to the diversity. Cluster analysis resulted in the formation of 4 groups and among them, 2 accessions of clusters 3 and 6 accessions of cluster 4 showed superior fruit characters by having the highest fruit weight, pulp weight, and seed kernel weight. Accessions of these groups could be considered in future domestication programs.