UUF-BOOK

GENETIC RESOURCES OF
TROPICAL UNDERUTILIZED
FRUITS IN INDIA
S.K. Malik
Rekha Chaudhury
O.P. Dhariwal
D.C. Bhandari
National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources

Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012, INDIA
GENETIC RESOURCES OF
TROPICAL UNDERUTILIZED
FRUITS IN INDIA
S.K. Malik
Rekha Chaudhury
O.P. Dhariwal
D.C. Bhandari

Pusa Campus, New Delhi 110 012, INDIA
The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), is a nodal
organization under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for the
management of plant genetic resources in India. NBPGR operates as per the
mandate of the Government of India and actively contributes to global efforts in
ensuring food and nutritional security. The institute also recognizes the need to integrate
ex situ and in situ conservation approaches in a network mode with all its stakeholders.
NBPGR's mission is to ensure the country's agricultural growth and development by
ensuring unrestricted availability of germplasm and associated information for use in
research and utilization as per the national and International legislations.
Citation:
Malik SK, Chaudhury R, Dhariwal OP and Bhandari DC. 2010. Genetic
Resources of Tropical Underutilized Fruits in India. NBPGR, New Delhi,
p.168.
Published by:
The Director,
National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources,
New Delhi-110 012
© National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, 2010
Printed by:
Alpha Printographics (India)
Mobile : 9999039940, 9811199620
Dedicated
to
This publication is dedicated to Dr. Rajeshwar
Kumar Arora, Former Officiating Director,
(NBPGR) and Coordinator South Asia,
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
(rechristened as Bioversity International)- an
excellent plant scientist who dedicated his life to
the study of plants, especially in the area of
plant genetic resources of underutilized native
species
Foreword
Indian agriculture, passing through various revaluations has achieved unprecedented

development. Production and productivity of many crops have increased manifold.
But the challenges of malnutrition, income to farmers and threat of climate change
continue, which has to be addressed. In this context, underutilized crops appear to be
the crop of future and need focused attention as it can meet nutritional needs and
sustain the effect of climate change. The underutilized fruit crops of Indian origin like
bael, chironji, jamun, karonda, ker, khirni, lasora, mahua, etc. are directly interwoven
in the socio-economic fabric of rural masses and especially of tribes dwelling in
remote hot, arid and fragile ecosystems. These potential crops of the future are
awaiting their full utilization now. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources
(NBPGR), the nodal national organization responsible for plant genetic resources
management in India, has been undertaking explorations and collections in
consultation and collaboration with scientists of relevant horticultural institutes of
ICAR and SAUs for a holistic approach for PGR collection and utilization. The aim is
to ultimately facilitate the PGR utilization by the collaborators and other
stakeholders. In this publication the authors have provided the details of
explorations and collections conducted by them from various states of India and basic
information on origin and distribution, general description of species, propagation
methods, cultivars/selections, uses and genetic resource management undertaken at
NBPGR and other centres. The information has been generated in the field and
experiments conducted on seed physiology and developing conservation techniques
in the laboratory are discussed along with information drawn from the available
literature.
I am sure this publication would be a useful source of information to scientists,
especially horticulturists, policy makers, teachers and students and would pave the
way for their popularization and utilization. Information on genetic resources and on
identified quality genotypes, wherever provided in the text need to be further utilized
and germplasm to be established in the field and to be multiplied using vegetative
propagation for commercial utilization.
I compliment the authors for bringing out this informative publication and to the
NBPGR for always championing the cause of plant genetic resources.
Preface
India is endowed with a rich genetic diversity of tropical fruits. Many of these fruits
have got due attention since time immemorial and became popularised due to their
larger appeal and ethos. These fruit species have been grown as commercial crops in
organized way in orchards and prospered continuously due to their economic, social and
religious importance. Mango, citrus, banana and guava due to the presence of vast
diversity and acceptable flavour and taste were supported and improved by local fruit
growers and horticulturists for wide adoption. The less important, so-called
underutilized fruits remained uncared for and remained confined mainly to natural wild,
semi-wild and semi-domesticated conditions albeit with large ever increasing
variability. Besides their importance as potential horticulture species these plants are
incidentally store houses of genes for adaptation to hot and hardy climates, salt
tolerance, diseases tolerance and several essential nutritional values. In the present
publication, out of large number of underutilized tropical fruits, only 16 genera have
been elaborated based on their diverse usages, potential in horticulture and importance
as future fruit crops. The exploration and collections undertaken mainly in the states of
Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh,
Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and some northeastern states have led to the
assemblage of sizeable genetic diversity of 16 fruit species which has still remained
untapped. The information originally generated at NBPGR during various surveys,
explorations and collections and from interaction with local people, tribals, farmers and
forest staff along with laboratory data on physico-chemical characterization and seed
physiology, seed storage behaviour and cryopreservation has been presented. Efforts
have been made to assemble the basic and relevant information scattered across various
publications. Genetic resource management on these species being undertaken under
AICRP on Arid Fruits and work being done at various horticultural institutes and state
agricultural universities has been duly presented. Authors believe that this humble
effort is only a beginning of gigantic task we have ahead to identify the desirable
genotypes from this vast genetic wealth based on detailed characterization and
evaluation. This would add required value to these resources to make them worthy for
intensive utilization. Developing vegetative propagation methods, popularising these
species to farmers with due market support for fruits and value added products would
only ensure the commercial cultivation of these fruits and bring them in mainstream of
Indian horticulture. The role of agricultural scientists and horticulturists is to make these
species profitable for farming and provide suitable place in the changing farming
patterns due to inevitable climate change which alone would save them from extinction.
We gratefully acknowledge everybody who had assisted wholeheartedly in preparation
of this publication. We profusely thank all the past Directors of NBPGR who
encouraged and spurred us to undertake these studies. Authors welcome any valued
suggestion from the readers for the improvement of presented information.
S.K. MALIK
REKHA CHAUDHURY
O.P. DHARIWAL
D.C. BHANDARI
Acknowledgments
Authors sincerely acknowledge the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and

National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources for providing the facilities and funding
for undertaking the work on genetic resources of tropical underutilized fruits. We are
thankful to Project Coordinator and partners of ICAR funded project on “National
Network on Underutilized Fruits” under which some of the explorations and work
has been undertaken. Our sincere thanks are due to Dr. O.P. Pareek, Ex-Director,
NRCAF (now CIAH), Bikaner, Dr. V. Ramanatha Rao, Honorary Research Fellow,
Bioversity International, Rome & Adjunct Senior Fellow, Bangalore and Dr. B.M.C.
Reddy, Ex Director, CISH, Lucknow for encouragement to work on underutilized
fruits. We sincerely acknowledge the help rendered by following persons for their
valuable input:
1. Dr. Z. Abraham, Principal Scientist and Officer In-charge, NBPGR RS,
Thrissur
2. Dr. Sanjay Singh, Principal Scientist, CHES (CIAH), Godhra
3. Dr. A.K. Singh, Principal Scientist, CISH, Lucknow
4. Dr. R.A. Kaushik, Head, Horticulture Division, MPUAT, Udaipur
5. Dr. Dhurendra Singh, Senior Scientist, CIAH, Bikaner
6. Dr. N.K. Dwivedi, Principal Scientist and Officer In-charge, NBPGR RS,
Jodhpur
7. Dr. R.P.S. Deswal, Associate Professor, CCSHAU, Regional Research
Station, Bawal
8. Dr. Rakesh Srivastava, Senior Scientist, NBPGR, New Delhi.
9. Dr. Rajwant K. Kalia, Senior Scientist, Centre for Plant Biotechnology,
CCSHAU, Hisar
10. Dr. N.S. Panwar, Sr. Technical officer, NBPGR, New Delhi
11. Mr. Rakesh Singh, Sr. Technical officer, NBPGR, New Delhi
12. Mr. Ravish Choudhary, SRF, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi
13. Ms. Jyotsna Joshi, SRF, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi
14. Dr. Susheel Kumar, RA, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi
15. Mr. Digvender Pal, SRF, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi
16. Dr. Sushil Kumar, PPV & FRA, New Delhi
17. Mr. Devender Kr. Nerwal, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi
18. Mr. Anang Pal Singh, TCCU, NBPGR, New Delhi
Contents
i. Foreword
ii. Preface
iii. Acknowledgements
1. Introduction 1
2. Genetic resource management 3

2.1 Exploration and collection 3
2.2 Characterization and evaluation 5
2.3 Conservation 7
2.3.1 Conservation strategies 7
2.3.2 In situ conservation 8
2.3.3 Ex situ conservation 9
2.3.3.1 Field genebanks 9
2.3.3.2 Genebank and cryogenebank conservation 9
2.4 Nutritional value, market demand and indigenous 11
technical knowledge
3. Description of fruit species 18

3.1 Aegle marmelos (Bael) 18
3.2 Buchanania lanzan (Chironji) 25
3.3 Capparis decidua (Ker) 38
3.4 Carissa species (Karonda) 47
3.5 Cordia species (Lasora) 54
3.6 Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu) 64
3.7 Emblica officinalis (Aonla) 70
3.8 Garcinia species (Kokam, Malabar tamarind and 75
Mysore gamboge)
3.9 Grewia subinaequalis (Phalsa) 88
3.10 Madhuca indica (Mahua) 93
3.11 Manilkara hexandra (Khirni) 100
3.12 Pithecellobium dulce (Manila tamarind) 114
3.13 Salvadora species (Pilu and Miswak) 120
3.14 Syzygium cumini (Jamun) 132
3.15 Tamarindus indica (Tamarind) 139
3.16 Ziziphus species (Ber) 147
4. Future perspective 154
5. References 156
Annexure
Acronyms
Genetic Resources of Tropical Underutilized Fruits in India
1. Introduction
Southeast Asia is represented by more than 500 species of fruits (Arora and Rao,
1995), while the Hindustani region of diversity represents 344 species of fruits having
vast potential for new crops (Arora, 1995). This area has been the center of origin of
a number of tropical and temperate fruit species, most of which are still growing in wild
or semi-wild state. Despite the vast genetic diversity of these fruits, only important
fruits like mango, banana, citrus and guava have gained in the productivity and
acceptability by the people. Many of the indigenous tropical and temperate fruits have
still remained underexploited due to the lack of awareness of their potential, market
demand and low and erratic bearing in many cases. These species have multipurpose
uses as fruits, vegetables and also have therapeutic and medicinal properties. Genetic
resources of such fruits are facing a great threat of extinction due to climate change,
large-scale urbanization and developmental projects. To safeguard the existing diversity
of underutilized fruits and to achieve sustainable development based on use of available
genetic wealth, promotion and conservation of these species is of immense importance.
Organized production and processing for value addition of products would enhance
income of small and marginal farmers and also help in on-farm conservation of valuable
germplasm. At NBPGR an extensive collection, characterization and conservation
programme has been undertaken for identification of promising germplasm and to
support the improvement programmes being undertaken in these fruit species.
Genetic resources of tropical underutilized fruits have not been given desired
attention due to their comparatively less commercial importance and limited research
on genetic improvement of cultivars. Opening of the world markets and development
of new biotechnological methods of genetic modifications in high value commercial
fruits would further keep the attention away from these traditional underutilized fruits
leading to great loss in genetic diversity of these fruits. Several other factors such as
change in climatic conditions, introduction of new irrigation methods and canals, large
scale developmental activities taking place in developing economies like India is leading
to alarming loss of genetic resources of these species. These genetic resources are
well adapted to the stressed, arid and semi-arid ecosystems having high potential for
mitigating inevitable climate change scenario, and hence need immediate attention. In
view of the great importance of these underutilized fruit species and urgent need to
strengthen the genetic resources and improvement work, Indian Council of Agricultural
1
Research launched a “National Network Project on Underutilized Fruits” to collect,

introduce, characterize, evaluate, conserve and utilize the genetic resources of these
species. CISH, Lucknow, CIAH, Bikaner, NBPGR, New Delhi, CHES, Chettalli
and CARI, Andaman and Nicobar are the partners in this project. Under this project
germplasm of khirni, karonda, bael, jamun, mahua, wood apple, tamarind, Garcinia,
etc. have been collected and characterized and several promising genotypes have
been identified. There is a need to further evaluate these identified genotypes and
release the cultivars for respective areas.
In the present publication, sixteen important underutilized fruits namely Aegle
marmelos (Bael), Buchanania lanzan (Chironji), Capparis decidua (Ker), Carissa
species (Karonda), Cordia species (Lasora), Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu),
Emblica officinalis (Aonla), Garcinia species (Kokam, Malabar tamarind and Mysore
gamboge), Grewia species (Phalsa), Madhuca indica (Mahua), Manilkara
hexandra (Khirni), Pithecellobium dulce (Manila tamarind), Salvadora species (Pilu
and Meswak), Syzygium cumini (Jamun), Tamarindus indica (Tamarind) and
Ziziphus species (Ber and Jharber) have been discussed. Besides these some other
indigenous species which are of substantial importance in Indian context are Feronia
limonia (Wood apple), Phoenix sylvestris (Wild date), Alangium salvifolium (Ban
jamun) and Ficus palmata (Wild fig). Genetic resource management and related issues
in the 16 Indian tropical underutilized fruits and their related species have been
discussed.
2
2. Genetic Resource Management
2.1 Exploration and collection

Germplasm collection of underutilized fruit crops has received less priority in
comparison to the field crops. Germplasm of these fruits species have been collected
at various horticultural organizations to identify promising genotypes for high yield and
good fruits quality. Overall 2552 accessions of 16 underutilized fruits being discussed
in this publication have been collected by various organizations in India and national
identity (IC Numbers) have been obtained from the NBPGR since 1976. These include
Aegle marmelos (57), Buchanania lanzan (187), Capparis decidua (118), Carissa
species (50), Cordia species (134), Diospyros melanoxylon (24), Emblica officinalis
(159), Garcinia species (541), Grewia species (36), Madhuca indica (153),
Manilkara hexandra (74), Pithecellobium dulce (24), Salvadora species (207),
Syzygium cumini (198), Tamarindus indica (248) and Ziziphus species (342).
Besides this large number of collections of these fruit species are being maintained in
the field genebanks at various national and state institutes and horticulture research
organizations where national identity is still to be obtained. Therefore, reporting the
exact number of collections and assessment of germplasm diversity in collected
germplasm in these fruits species requires collective efforts of various stake holders.
Besides the ICAR institutes (Central Institute of Arid Horticulture, Bikaner, Central
Institute of Sub-tropical Horticulture, Lucknow) and some state universities, most of
these fruit crops are being managed under the All India Coordinated Project on Arid
Fruits for developing fruit growing technology to build a viable commercial cultivation
in the arid regions and to improve the economic condition of the people, their nutrition
and health standard at 13 centres of ICAR Institutes and State Agricultural Universities
as detailed below (Table 1):
At NBPGR systematic exploration programmes to collect the germplasm of
important underutilized fruits have been undertaken since last twelve years. Twenty
specific exploration and collection missions have been executed in the north, west,
central and south Indian states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh (foot hills of Himalayas), Kerala, Karnataka and
Maharashtra for the collection of several underutilized tropical and sub-tropical fruits.
The targeted fruit species were collected from wild and semi-wild areas of forest,
3
Table 1. Mandate crops and centres of All India Coordinated project on Arid
Fruits
Center Name Crop
Abohar Date palm
Anantapur Ber, Custard apple, pomegranate, aonla, phalsa, tamarind
Aruppukottai Ber, Custard apple, pomegranate, aonla, phalsa, tamarind
Bangalore Pomegranate, custard apple, fig
Bawal Ber, pomegranate, date palm
Bikaner Date palm
Faizabad Aonla, ber, bael, jamun
Jobner Ber, aonla, pomegranate
Mundra Date palm
Rahuri Pomegranate, ber, custard apple, fig, aonla
SK Nagar Ber, aonla, custard apple and pomegranate
CIAH, Bikaner Aonla, Bael
CISH, Lucknow Bael
CHES, Godhra Aonla, Ber, palmyra palm, Tamarind
NRC Pomegranate, Pomegranate
Solapur
(Source: CIAH, Bikaner)
marginal forest lands, homestead gardens, orchards and from farmers fields. Details of
fruiting period, importance and uses of these fruits species has been provided under
the description of individual fruits. During the explorations general field observations,
status of natural populations, probable threats to species, breeding behavior and
associated indigenous technical knowledge on use was gathered. For collection of
germplasm, selective sampling strategy was used and an indigenous collection number
(IC number) allotted to an individual accession. In most of these fruits species elite
trees were identified based on phenotypic characters. Fruits from selected plants were
collected and after initial characterization of fruits the data was shared with the
horticulturists to facilitate the utilization of these genotypes. Vegetative cuttings or bud
wood was also collected in some of the fruits for establishment in the field genebanks
of respective institutes. Area of collection of these fruit species is depicted in the map
(Fig. 1). Passport data of individual fruits and variability collected at NBPGR has
been described under the individual descriptions of species.
4
Fig. 1: Collection sites of tropical underutilized fruits from India
2.2 Characterization and evaluation

Tropical fruit species are mostly heterozygous due to high degree of outcrossing
and require systematic morphological characterization backed by the molecular
characterization to study the extent of variability and utilization of existing germplasm.
Systematic characterization of physico-chemical characters of available germplasm
would provide the extent of genetic diversity in the fruits species and facilitate in
identifying the superior genotypes with desired characters. Characterization and
evaluation of fruits especially tropical underutilized fruits has not been undertaken in a
5
systematic way till now, therefore, selection of elite genotypes or cultivars in most of
these fruits is lacking. Another reason for the limited information on these aspects is
the less priority to these fruits in comparison to high value major fruit species.
Characterization and evaluation work is also limited due to the availability of these
fruits species only in the natural wild and semi-wild conditions. Recently, the efforts
have been made to undertake the systematic collection, initial characterization and
establishment of superior genotypes in the field genebanks for detailed evaluation.
Due to the perennial nature and specific climatic and edaphic needs of these fruits it
takes many years in flowering and fruiting in field genebanks causing delay in the
characterization and evaluation. In some important underutilized fruit species vegetative
propagation methods have been developed recently and field establishment of identified
genotypes by using the scion from the original sources on local rootstocks have been
undertaken. Recently the characterization and evaluation of some collected germplasm
and identified cultivars or released varieties of important underutilized fruits namely
aonla, ber, bael, jamun, phalsa, khirni, karonda, mahua and tamarind have been
undertaken at various locations (Pathak and Pathak, 1993; Singh et al., 1999). Field
performance and multi-location trials of indentified cultivars or selections of several
arid fruits is extensively being undertaken at various centers of AICRP on Arid Fruits
and performance is being reported regularly for recommendation of suitable cultivars
for particular region or state (Pareek and Nath, 1996; ICAR website)
For physico-chemical characterization the fruits were carried to the laboratory,
wherever possible. Due to highly perishable nature of fruits, some of the characterization
data has been undertaken in the field during the collection and exploration. Some
important phenotypic plant characters desirable in the specific fruit species were also
recorded and specified in the passport data. Further the fruits were carried to the
laboratory in sufficient numbers to characterize and extract the seeds to be used for
various experiments and cryopreservation. During the present study efforts have been
made to attempt preliminary characterization of fruits and seeds of the collected
germplasm for important qualitative and quantitative characters. For morphological
characterization, minimum descriptors developed by NBPGR (Mahajan et al, 2002)
were used, wherever available. Information generated have been shared with the
concerned horticulture scientists on the elite and promising collections for undertaking
further characterization and evaluation of such genotypes for utilization and
commercialization. Molecular characterization studies have also been lacking in the
tropical underutilized fruits. However, the efforts have now been initiated at several
crop based institutes and at NBPGR to characterize the available germplasm using
molecular markers to analyze the existing genetic diversity for the efficient utilization of
germplasm.
6
2.3 Conservation
2.3.1 Conservation strategies
Conservation of plant genetic resources is attempted using two basic approaches,
the in situ and ex situ ensuring conservation in the natural habitat and in man made
genebanks, respectively. Plant genetic resources, comprising a wide range of useful
plant species, possess diverse mechanisms of reproduction and regeneration. Selection
of suitable conservation strategy depends upon reproductive and breeding mechanism
and physiology of seeds and plant propagules. These factors determine the sample
size of the propagules to be stored, and the appropriate conservation technologies to
be applied. Accordingly, different conservation strategies have been suggested and
utilized by conservation biologists for achieving successful conservation of targeted
species (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2: Conservation strategies for horticultural genetic resources (HGR)
Conservation of horticulture genetic resources (HGR) and specifically the

underutilized fruit species which are still grown as natural wild and in semi-wild conditions
would require adoption of complementary conservation strategies where, suitable in
situ and ex situ conservation methods are be employed to achieve the successful
conservation. Within this group of underutilized fruit crops specific conservation strategy
is to be developed and adopted based on extent of genetic diversity available,
mechanism of propagation, reproductive biology of species and present biological
status of the species. Horticulture genetic resources of underutilized fruits comprise
following candidates for conservation based on their biological status and propagation
method (Fig. 3).
7
Fig. 3: Candidates for conservation in HGR and their propagation methods
2.3.2 In situ conservation

In situ conservation involves promoting growth of plant species in their natural
habitats where evolutionary processes continue to operate, making it a dynamic system.
Majority of the underutilized fruits grow in the diverse climatic and edaphic conditions
and are adapted to arid and semi-arid conditions. In situ conservation is important for
underutilized fruit species still occurring as natural wild or in the semi-domesticated
conditions using following two approaches:
1) Conservation in the natural habitats like protected areas and national reserves:
Specific area based on presence of natural diversity are to be identified for species
found as only natural wild. Priority species in this category are Buchanania lanzan,
Capparis decidua, Diospyros melanoxylon, Manilkara hexandra, Salvadora
oleoides, S. persica, Tamarindus indica and Pithecellobium dulce. For species
where both natural wild and cultivated genotypes are available wild populations are to
be protected immediately. Such species are Aegle marmelos, Emblica officinalis,
Grewia species, Carissa species, Cordia species, Madhuca species and Ziziphus
species. Fruit species and possible protected area for in situ conservation are to be
finalized based on diversity maps and biodiversity conservation policy of respective
state government.
8
2) In situ on-farm conservation would be an ideal approach for conserving local

natural selections, cultivars and farmer’s varieties. In some of underutilized fruits local
selections or farmers varieties have been developed or identified since time immemorial.
These local selections are being grown as isolated plants or in small numbers in the
homestead gardens, farmers fields, backyards or in the common panchayat lands in
villages. Such selections need urgent attention for further characterization, evaluation
and on-farm conservation. Underutilized fruits where such selections are indentified
and available are Syzygium cumini, Cordia myxa, Tamarindus indica, Aegle
marmelos, Emblica officinalis and Ziziphus species.
2.3.3 Ex situ conservation
2.3.3.1 Field genebanks
Ex situ conservation of underutilized fruits is important to safeguard the genetic
wealth and to use germplasm for the genetic improvement to develop desirable cultivars
or varieties. Field genebanks have an important place in conservation and maintenance
of clonally propagated species, tree species with long juvenile phase, species that do
not produce true-to-type seed, or produce recalcitrant seeds whose laboratory
conservation technology has not been standardized so far. Presently several field
genebanks for diverse horticultural species are operational throughout the world. In
India field genebanks of citrus, mango, mulberry, oil palm and several other fruit species
have been established and are being maintained at state and ICAR horticultural
institutions or state agricultural universities at different locations. As far as underutilized
fruits are concerned field genebank conservation has been recently undertaken
especially under the AICRP on Arid Fruits at various ICAR institutes and their regional
stations, some important institutes are CIAH, Bikaner, CISH, Lucknow, CAZRI,
Jodhpur, NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur, IIHR, Bangalore and at several state
agricultural universities and their regional stations namely CCSHAU, Hisar and Regional
Station, Bawal, Haryana; MPKV, Rahuri, Maharashtra; GAU, Sardar Krushinagar,
Gujarat; RAU, Bikaner, Rajasthan; SKN College of Agriculture, RAU, Jobner,
Rajasthan; MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan; ANDUAT, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh and
state horticulture stations at Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other states.
2.3.3.2 Genebank and cryogenebank conservation
Conservation of underutilized fruit species is being undertaken in the laboratory in
genebank and cryogenebank at NBPGR, New Delhi. Conservation of plant germplasm
in the form of seeds is the most convenient and reliable method being practiced in
genebanks. Germplasm of tropical underutilized fruits species where the seeds are
relatively larger and have high moisture content at the time of shedding pose problems
9
in traditional conservation. Hence, there is need to study their basic seed physiology,
longevity and seed storage behaviour. Seed storage behaviour in its simplest form is
measured in terms of survival and longevity of seed under various storage conditions.
Information on this is available for only about 3% of the higher plant species (Hong
and Ellis, 1996). Various research groups in different countries are undertaking research
on this aspect mainly on their indigenous species. Seed storage behaviour in several
cases is misinterpreted because of scanty data generated on survival and longevity of
seed and lack of detailed information on physiological characteristics. Conservationist
can recommend and adopt short-, medium- and long-term seed storage only after
correct identification of seed storage behaviour. Seed storage behaviour has broadly
been divided into three categories. Initially Roberts (1973) defined two categories
namely orthodox and recalcitrant. Later another category of seed storage behaviour
was designated by Ellis et al. (1990) and termed intermediate, where the behaviour is
in between orthodox and recalcitrant. Orthodox seeds can be desiccated to desired
moisture contents and can be conserved in the conventional genebanks comprising of
cold storage modules maintained at –20oC. While non-orthodox (intermediate and
recalcitrant) seeds are not amenable to conventional genebank regimes, being sensitive
to desiccation and suffering chilling injury, and thus, require special conservation
protocols. Many plant species especially of tropical origin, e.g. rubber, several Citrus
species, Garcinia species, jackfruit, cocoa, Madhuca species produce such seeds.
Several different methods based on cryopreservation have been developed for
genebank conservation of such non-orthodox seeded species (Malik et al., 2004).
Cryopreservation, storage of biological materials at ultralow temperatures (-196°C),
is the only method available for the long-term conservation of non-orthodox seeds
and several vegetative explants such as shoot apices, meristems, dormant buds and
somatic embryos.
Conservation of germplasm in the form of seeds for underutilized fruits species
which are predominantly cross pollinated, only ensures the genepool conservation of
these species due to the heterozygous nature of seeds. As most of these species are
found natural wild or semi-wild and propagated through seeds in nature, conservation
of available genetic variability essentially required for the selection of desired genotypes
therefore, needs to be protected safely and timely. In most of these fruit species farmers
or local people are propagating progenies of these fruits using seeds as no commercial
cultivars are available and even if few have been identified, clonally developed planting
material is not available. Once the promising genotypes or cultivars are identified in
these species, conservation of their vegetative tissues to achieve true-to-type
conservation can be attempted using in vitro methods. It is to emphasize here that
conservation of vegetative tissues in these tropical woody species would be an enormous
10
task as most of the species are known for their recalcitrance as far as in vitro
establishment is concerned and equally difficult task would be to successfully
cryopreserve the vegetative tissues excised from in vitro cultures. It is, therefore,
recommended to conserve the available genetic diversity of such economically important
species in the best possible ways to fulfill the objective of safe guarding these indigenous
species from genetic erosion. For genetic improvement and genotype conservation,
collected and characterized elite genotypes are presently being conserved in the field
genebanks at various horticultural organizations. It is, therefore, emphasized that a
complementary conservation strategy (Rao, 1998) involving the use of more than one
relevant approach would be the best option for achieving safe conservation of these
underutilized fruit species facing severe threat of extinction. In the present publication
information generated since last 15 years at the cryolab of Tissue Culture and
Cryopreservation Unit of NBPGR, New Delhi on seed germination, longevity, seed
storage behavior, desiccation and freezing sensitivity and developing cryopreservation
protocols of sixteen genera has been provided in tables 2, 3, 4 and 5.
2.4 Nutritional value, market demand and indigenous technical knowledge
Human body cannot synthesize vitamin-C like other animals and depends on food
sources to obtain it. Fruits and vegetables are the main source of various vitamins,
minerals, antioxidants and soluble fibers. Humans since its evolution, depended heavily
on the natural food and diversity of plants growing around them. Such plant species
were, therefore, domesticated first. As far as fruits are concerned, these are the last
domesticated plants and still several wild fruit species are under domestication once
local people recognised them to be important for their use and commercial value
(Burkill, 1951-52). People prefer to have fruits with good taste and having less unpleasant
tannins and glycosides which are amply available in the wild fruits. Another preference
is for the larger fleshy or edible part and no or less seediness in fruits.
Many of these fruits are highly perishable and difficult to store in the fresh form.
Some of them are not easy to eat out of hand. A few are not acceptable as a fresh fruit,
because of high acidity and/or strong astringent taste. However, all these fruits have
unlimited potential in the world trade in their processed form. Presently various value
added products such as jam, pickles, chutney, squashes, dried form of fruits, pulp etc.
are being exported to targeted Indian populations living in other countries. For example
Malabar tamarind is being exported to countries wherever Malayalees are settled in
the World as this makes an important ingredient of their food preparations especially
fish curries. Similarly, other products prepared and processed under small scale industry
are exported to USA, Europe and to several other countries as per their demand and
found important place in super markets along with other Indian products. Therefore,
11
Table 2. Effect of liquid nitrogen exposure on germination of seed, embryo

and embryonic axes of different underutilized fruits.
Species name Explant CMC Germination Viability (%) at CMC

substrata/ BC AC
medium
Aegle marmelos Seed 4.4 TP, BP 70 65.5

Embryo 5.1 TP, in vitro 70.5 75
Buchanania lanzan Seed 6.3-12.4 BP, TP, moss grass 50 46.5
Capparis decidua Seed 6-8 BP, TP, moss grass 77 75
Carissa spp. Seed 6-8 BP, TP, moss grass 70-80 65-70
Cordia spp. Seed 6-8 BP, TP 100 95.5
Diospyros melanoxylon Seed 11.96 BP, moss grass 75 80
Emblica officinalis Seed 6.0 TP 70 72.5
Garcinia spp. Seed 34.0 Peat moss, 33.5 0
in vitro culture
Grewia spp. Seed 9.2 BP, TP (Pretreated 45 40
with 25% HCl
for 8 min.)
Madhuca indica Seed 42.2 Moss grass 50 0
Embryonic 20.5 In vitro 35 12.5
axis
Manilkara hexandra Seed 6.5 BP, soilrite, 70-100 50
moss grass
Pithecellobium dulce Seed 6.0 TP, BP 85 82.2
Salvadora oleoides Seed 9.5 BP, TP, moss grass 40 10
Embryonic axis 8.2 In vitro culture 65 64.4
Syzygium cumini Seed 43.7 Peatmoss, 20.5 0
in vitro culture
Tamarindus indica Seed 7.5 BP, moss grass 85.0 83.5
Ziziphus nummularia Seed 3.2 TP 65.5 58.9
BP- Between paper; TP- Top of paper; BC- Before Cryo; AC- After Cryo; CMC- Critical
Moisture Content
12
Table 3. Desiccation and freezing sensitivity in underutilized fruit species.
Species Initial moisture Initial viability Desiccated Viability (%) Viability (%)
content (%) (%) moisture at DMC after
content (%) cryoexposure
Aegle marmelos 20.36 (±5.39) 97.22 (±2.77) 5.6 (±0.51) 96.11 (±2.42) 84.44 (±2.77)
Buchanania lanzan 7.45 (±0.65) 88.89 (±2.78) 6.02 (±0.08) 75.75 (±3.79) 68.78 (±2.02)
Capparis decidua 29.52 (±2.14) 97.22 (±2.77) 7.68 (±0.62) 83.33 (±4.81) 78.98 (±2.41)
Carissa carandas 18.45 (±1.48) 71.66 (±8.81) 9.26 (±1.24) 54.11(±2.40) 53.33 (±14.17)
Cordia myxa 24.65 (±1.29) 93.89 (±3.09) 7.30 (±0.63) 87.89 (±8.30) 72.33 (±4.33)
Diospyros melanoxylon 28.52 (±2.2) 90 (±0.5) 11.96 (±1.2) 83.3 (±1.1) 80 (±1.5)
13
Emblica officinalis 11.82 (±2.85) 73.89 (±3.88) 5.64 (± 0.28) 58.33 (±4.40) 51.00 (±2.40)
Garcinia spp. 45.5 (±1.48) 100 (±0.0) 31.4 (±2.40) 44.5 (±2.78) 0.0
Grewia subinaequalis 16.22 (±0.63) 81.11(±3.09) 6.06 (±0.25) 52.78 (±7.34) 50.00 (±7.63)
Madhuca spp. 51.55 (±0.53) 81.25 (±0.25) 22.4 (±1.24) 50.00 (±2.88) 18.30 (±2.40)
Manilkara hexandra 37.35 (±1.09) 86.11 (±2.78) 10.55 (±0.79) 67.78 (±6.40) 52.22 (±9.24)
Pithecellobium dulce 37.94 (±1.89) 96.67 (±3.33) 7.00 (±1.41) 85.00 (±2.88) 75.00 (±4.80)
Salvadora oleoides 26.36 (±0.89) 89.42 (±6.82) 8.78 (±0.95) 71.70 (±4.16) 40.20 (±2.34)
Syzygium cumini 50.43 (±4.33) 64.0 (±2.20) 35.37(±0.32) 40.00 (±3.44) 0.0
Tamarindus indica 34.98 (±3.64) 97.22 (±2.78) 6.73 (±0.99) 95.00 (±2.88) 93.89 (±3.09)
Ziziphus nummularia 25.74 (±3.65) 91.66 (2.32) 5.30 (±1.12) 90.67 (±5.70) 86.11(±2.78)
Table 4. Desiccation and freezing sensitivity and longevity of seeds as a

parameter to ascertain seed storage behaviour in underutilized fruit species.
Species Storage % decline % decline Seed Accessions
period in viability in viability storage cryostored
at ambient after after LN behavior in the form
temperature desiccation exposure ascertained of seed/
(25-32ºC) to CMC by our embryo/
till 50% studies embryonic
viability axes
(in months)
Aegle marmelos 24 months 1.07 11.60 I* Seed & Embryo

Buchanania lanzan 5 months 11.68 5.85 I ** Seed
Capparis decidua 6 months 13.50 3.79 I*** Seed
Carissa carandas 3 months 12.57 0.42 I Seed
Cordia myxa 6 months 5.63 13.67 I Seed
Diospyros melanoxylon 10 months 15 5 I Seed
Emblica officinalis 10 months 11.49 4.27 O Seed
Garcinia spp. 20 days 80 100 R Nil
Grewia subinaequalis 4 months 22.97 1.46 I Seed
Madhuca indica 7 days 40 80 R Embryonic axis
Manilkara hexandra 45 days 15.78 10.54 I Seed &
Embryonic axis
Pithecellobium dulce 14 months 11.28 8.5 O Seed
Salvadora oleoides 15 days 15.84 30 R Seed &
Embryonic axis
Syzygium cumini 30 days 80 100 R Nil
Tamarindus indica 18 months 2.15 1.15 O Seed
Ziziphus nummularia 24 months 0.90 2.52 O**** Seed
CMC=Critical Moisture Content * also reported by Parihar et al, 2010

O=Orthodox ** also reported by Naithani, 2001
I=Intermediate *** also reported by Agroforesrty Tree database
R=Recalcitrant **** also reported by Hong et al, 1996
14
Table 5. Seed longevity and number of accessions cryostored of underutilized

fruit species
Species Shelf life i.e. longevity No. of accessions

at ambient temperature cryostored in the
(25-34ºC) Cryogenebank in the
form of seed/ embryo/
embryonic axes
Aegle marmelos 36 months 80
Buchanania lanzan 11 months 127
Capparis decidua 14 months 88
Carissa carandas 5-6 months 9
C. edulis 1
C.grandiflora 1
C. spinarum 3
Cordia myxa 3-4 months 24
C. crenata 3
C. obliqua 1
C. rothii 9
Diospyros melanoxylon 15 months 16
Emblica officinalis 19 months 31
Garcinia sp. 30-45 days 0
Grewia subinaequalis 6-7 months 13
G. rothii 1
G. tiliaefolia var. tiliaefolia 1
Madhuca indica 7 days 2
M. longifolia 12
Manilkara hexandra 4 months 46
Pithecellobium dulce 24 months 14
Salvadora oleoides 2-3 weeks 23
S. persica 12
Syzygium cumini 30 days 0
Tamarindus indica 20 months 10
Ziziphus nummularia 22 months 15
Z. oenoplia 3
Z. oxyphylla 1
Z. rotundifolia 15
Z. rugosa 5
Z. xylopyrus 3
15
organised processing and export of these fruits would provide an opportunity to

consumers all over the world to enjoy these tropical fruits in the form of processed
products. Apart from processing, market potential and strong campaigning is necessary
to create awareness and consciousness among the producers and consumers of
underutilized tropical fruits.
Most of the tropical underutilized fruits are often available only in the local markets
and are rarely known in other parts of the country. These fruit species have the ability
to grow under stressed and adverse conditions and are also known for their medicinal,
therapeutic and nutritive values. Because of their curative and nutritional properties,
these fruits have been used by local people for nutrition and curing several diseases.
Many of these species have been used as traditional medicinal plants and some of
them have found important place in the Indian Systems of Medicine and in Unani,
since the time immemorial. Tribal populations particularly children and women of these
localities are fulfilling their nutritional requirements by consuming these fruits available
freely in their vicinity. In addition, some of these fruits have excellent flavour, juiciness
and have very attractive appearance. There is always a good market demand all over
the world for new food products especially which are highly nutritious and delicately
flavoured. Urban consumers today are becoming increasingly conscious and aware of
their health and nutritional aspects of their food due to prosperity and awareness.
Demand for natural, herbal and non-synthetic food products is increasing among urban
middle and upper middle class of developing and developed countries. There is an
increased emphasis by government and non-government agencies to popularise the
traditional and natural products. In India the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga &
Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, Government of India has been effectively taking up the cause of
protecting and popularising the Indian System of Medicines for the benefit of large
population due to its being nature friendly and affordable. Several private organisations
have established naturopathy and herbal clinics based on the natural products extracted
from these underutilized fruits to increase immunity and also to cure various ailments.
In view of all these recent developments in traditional health sector, underutilized fruit
plants rich in vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and with other medicinal properties
have bright market future. The underutilized tropical fruits discussed in this publication
have an important role to play in satisfying the present day market demands. Nutritional
status of fruits being discussed in this publication is given in the table 6.
16
Table 6. Food value of some promising underutilized fruits per 100 g edible portion
Fruits Calories Protein (g) Fat (g) Carbo - Fibre (g) Calcium Phos- Iron (mg) Vitamin Ascorbic
(Kcal) hydrates (mg) phorus A (IU) acid
(g) (mg) (mg)
Aegle marmelos 137 1.8-2.62 0.2-0.39 28.1-31.8 2.9 85 50 0.6 91.6 1.1
Buchanania lanzan 656 19.0-21.6 59.1 12.1 3.8 279 528 8.5 - 5.0
Capparis decidua 100 5.9 1.23 20.87 - 153.8 50.8 2.0 - 133
Carissa carandas 42.59.4 0.39-1.1 2.57.4.63 0.51-2.9 0.62-1.81 21 28 - 1619 9-11
Cordia myxa 65 1.8-2.0 1.0 12.2 0.3 40 60 - - -
Emblica officinalis 65 0.07-0.5 0.1-0.2 15-21.8 1.9-3.4 12.5-20 26.0 0.48-0.5 17 500-625
Grewia subinaequalis 72.4 1.3-1.58 0.90-1.82 14.78 1.2-1.77 129 39 3.1 800 22
17
Madhuca indica - 1.37 1.61 22.69 - 45 22 1.1 512 40.5-42
Manilkara hexandra - 0.48 2.42 27.74 - 83 17 0.92 675 15.67
Pithecellobium dulce 78.8 2-3.3 0.4-0.5 18.2-19.6 1.1-1.2 13 42 0.5 25 138
Salvadora oleoides - 6.0 2.0 76 2.0 630 167 8.0 - 2.0
Syzygium cumini 62 0.7 0.15-0.3 14-16 0.3-0.9 8-15 15-16.2 1.2-1.62 80 5.7-18
Tamarindus indica - 2-3 0.6 41.1-61.4 2.9 34-94 34-78 0.2-0.9 - 44
Ziziphus nummularia - 2.0 1.0 93 2.0 60 120 7.0 - 88
Source: Pareek et al., 1998

3. Description of fruit species
3.1 Aegle marmelos (Bael)

Botanical name: Aegle marmelos (L) Correa.
Common name: English - Bengal Quince; Hindi – Bael, bel, belli etc.
Family: Rutaceae
Origin and distribution: It is native to India (Zeven and de Wet, 1982) and found
throughout southeast Asia. In India this fruit is grown in indogangetic plains and sub-
Himalayan tracts, north-east India and dry and deciduous forests of central and southern
India. Besides occurring as natural wild, bael is commonly grown in the homestead
gardens, backyards, religious places and in the farmer’s fields. Main growing states
are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttaranchal and
Orissa.
General description: Bael is a medium sized tree attaining the height up to 20 ft. with
deciduous and hardy nature (Fig. 4A, B). This is a thorny tree with dimorphic branches
and trifoliate leaves and erenate leaflets. Flowers are whitish-green, scented and bisexual.
Fruits are of small to very large size with varying shape from oblong to ovate, round,
globose and elongated containing hard outer cover (skull) and soft creamy pink to
reddish pulp full of hairy seeds. Seeds have hard and hairy seed coat, flat in shape and
mucilaginous. Polyembryony is also reported in this species.
Propagation: Bael is mainly propagated by seeds due to which the vast genetic
variability is present in the nature. Vegetative propagation using patch budding, shield
budding, and chip budding have been successfully demonstrated. Whip grafting has
also been successfully undertaken in bael (Maiti et al., 1999).
Cultivars/selections: Some important seedling selections have been made based on
place of occurrence namely, Gonda selection, Mirzapuri, Kagzi, Sewan large etc. and
NB selections made by ANDUAT, Faizabad and Pant cultivars by GBPUAT, Pantnagar.
Some promising selections have also been identified from the germplasm collected
from West Bengal (Mazumdar, 2004). Bael fruit is gaining lot of importance and due
to the high market demand in the summer months for fresh fruits and squash, organized
18
orcharding of this fruit crop is picking up in the parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,
Rajasthan and other parts of country. The demand for good planting material of suitable
cultivar would also increase in future due to large scale commercial cultivation.
Important uses: Bael tree is of historical importance in Indian culture and various
uses have been described in the literature. Pulp of the fruit is consumed raw and also
processed to make diverse value added products, most common are sharbat, squash,
murabba, jam, etc. In the various states fresh juice of bael is sold in the market especially
in the summers and taken as soft drink. Dried pulp is also used in several parts of
country. Pulp has several medicinal properties and commonly used for the cure of
diarrhoea, dysentery and other stomach ailments. Leaves, root and bark also have
medicinal properties and used widely in the Indian System of Medicine. The crystalline
substance known as ‘marmelosin’ extracted from fruits have therapeutic properties
(Mazumdar, 2004). Trifoliate leaves are used in prayer /puja of Lord Shiva.
Genetic Resource Management

Collection: Germplasm of bael has been widely collected from several states especially
from the parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and West
Bengal by ANDUAT, Faizabad, and CIAH, Bikaner, CISH, Lucknow, CCSHAU,
Regional Research Station, Bawal, CAZRI, Jodhpur and NBPGR Regional Station,
Jodhpur. Diversity of bael has been collected from east-central India (Jharkhand and
Bihar) and 33 genotypes were collected (Nath et al., 2003). Several promising
collections have been identified from the germplasm collected from Faizabad, Basti,
Lucknow, Gonda, Mirzapur, Deoria, Varanasi and Agra districts of Uttar Pradesh and
evaluated for physico-chemical characters and field performance. At NBPGR
explorations for the collection of bael germplasm have been made from wild and semi-
wild locations of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. 15 accessions have been
collected from various sites as indicated in the Fig. 5. Sizable variability in fruits size,
shape, pulp, flavour, TSS, seeds size, shape and colour was recorded. Detailed passport
data of germplasm collected by NBPGR is presented in the Table 7.
Characterization: Germplasm diversity of bael collected from various districts of
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been characterized and evaluated at ANDUAT, Faizabad
and Fruit Research Station, Basti. Several promising cultivars and selections have
been made based on bearing, medium size of fruit, optimum skull thickness, less number
of seeds, less mucilage and fiber content. Some important selections made are NB-4,
NB-5 and NB-9, out of these NB-5 has been adjudged the best selection (Pareek
and Nath, 1996). Several other selections made from the collected germplasm are
19
Haryana
Rajasthan
Madhya Pradesh
Fig. 5: Collection sites of bael from Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh
Gonda selection, Mirzapuri, Etawah Kagzi, Sewan large, Deoria, etc. Nath et al.,
(2003) identified five promising genotypes of bael on the basis of fruit characters and
bearing behavior from the germplasm collected from Jharkhand and Bihar.
Bael collections made at NBPGR were characterized for various physico-chemical
characters and details have been given in the Table 8. A total of 4 varied accessions
were characterized for fruit and seed characters. Fruits were large with length varying
from 6.28 to 8.14 cm and width from 6.33 to 8.64 cm. Fruit weight showed vast
variation, lightest fruit being of 144 gm and heaviest of 378 gm. TSS value ranged
from 34.21 to 45.6 ºB. Seeds were small and light weight with length verifying from
0.62 to 0.72 cm and diameter from 1.63 to 1.96 cm. Average seed weight was about
0.1 gm for all accessions. The heaviest fruits with highest TSS were recorded for
IC546120 followed by those in IC546131.
Conservation: Conservation of genetic resources of bael is being undertaken at
various field genebanks of ICAR institutes and state agricultural universities. Sizable
collection is being maintained at CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (10),
ANDUAT, Faizabad (22), CIAH, Bikaner (16), CISH, Lucknow (44), GBPUAT,
Pantnagar (10), CAZRI, Jodhpur (5) and also at NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur.
20
Basic studies on seed germination, seed storage behavior and longevity have been
undertaken at NBPGR. Freshly harvested seeds of diverse accessions showed
germination from 60-100% with moisture content varying from 12-20% (Table 3 and
4). The seeds retained viability well upto 2 years of storage at ambient temperature.
Intermediate seed storage behavior has been ascertained by our studies (Table 4).
Desiccation of seeds to 5.6% moisture content before cryostorage resulted in high
survival of about 95% (Table 3). However, exposure to LN resulted in 11% decline in
viability indicating chilling sensitivity. Embryos and embryonic axes also survived Liquid
nitrogen (LN) exposure with 75% survival (Table 2). A total of 80 diverse accessions
including Kagzi, Mirzapuri, Gonda Selection and several wild types have been
cryostored in the Cryogenebank at NBPGR. Our results are similar to that reported
by Parihar et al. (2010) who observed that seeds had short viability and showed
chilling sensitivity as majority of seeds lost viability after 12 months storage at -20OC.
21
Table 7. Passport data of Aegle marmelos (Bael) germplasm collected from various states
S. Collector IC Crop Botanical Vernacular Biological District State Latitude Longitude

No. Number Number Name Name Name Name Status
1 MKD-101 524057 Bael Aegle marmelos Beal Wild Rewari Haryana 28.17 76.50
2 MD - 827 552934 Bael Aegle marmelos Billa Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.41 74.87
3 MD - 843 552950 Bael Aegle marmelos Billi Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.43 75.09
4 MD-332 437020 Bael Aegle marmelos Bel Wild Chattarpur Madhya Pradesh 24.73 79.72
5 MD-333 437021 Bael Aegle marmelos Bel Wild Chattarpur Madhya Pradesh 24.73 79.72
6 MD-06/20 546103 Bael Aegle marmelos Belpather Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.32 74.40
7 MD-06/22 546105 Bael Aegle marmelos Belpather Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.32 74.40
22
8 MD-06/32 546115 Bael Aegle marmelos Bel Wild Udaipur Rajasthan 24.34 73.61
9 MD-06/37 546120 Bael Aegle marmelos Bel Wild Sirohi Rajasthan 25.17 73.08
10 MD-06/47 546130 Bael Aegle marmelos Bel Wild Sirohi Rajasthan 24.85 72.87
11 MD-10/1 584550 Bael Aegle marmelos Bille Wild Udaipur Rajasthan 24.34 73.42
12 MD-10/2 584551 Bael Aegle marmelos Bille Wild Udaipur Rajasthan 24.34 73.42
13 MD-10/4 584553 Bael Aegle marmelos Billi Wild Udaipur Rajasthan 24.10 73.41
14 MD-167 417234 Bael Aegle marmelos Bel Wild Udaipur Rajasthan 24.16 73.75
15 MKD-90 524046 Bael Aegle marmelos Beal Wild Alwar Rajasthan 27.86 76.32
Table 8. Characterization data of Aegle marmelos (Bael) germplasm based on fruits and seeds characters
S. No. Coll. No. IC No. Fruit Seed

Length Width Weight TSS Length Diameter Weight
(cm) (cm) (gm) (cm) (cm) (gm)
1 MD-06/20 546103 7.70 6.51 178.66 42.70 0.72 1.96 0.13
23
2 MD-06/22 546105 6.28 6.61 144.46 34.21 0.65 1.67 0.06
3 MD-06/32 546115 7.54 6.33 168.31 43.15 0.64 1.68 0.07
4 MD-06/37 546120 8.14 8.64 378.08 45.60 0.62 1.63 0.08
24
3.2 Buchanania lanzan (Chironji)
Botanical name: Buchanania lanzan Sperg. syn. B. latifolia Roxb.

Common name: Chironji, Charoli, Chawar, Achar, Cuddapah almond, Piyal
Family: Anacardiaceae
Origin and distribution: Chironji originated in the Indian sub-continent (Zeven and
de Wet, 1982). The tree is found as natural wild in the tropical deciduous forests of
north, western and central India mostly in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa,
Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
General description: Buchanania lanzan is medium size tree, upto 40-50 ft. high
with a straight trunk (Fig.6A). Trees have the alternate bearing nature as present in the
mango. Tree shows deciduous nature for short time in summer and new leaves come
in the late May. Leaves 6-10 inches, oblong, obtuse; flowers whitish green, sessile;
fruit drupe, green when immature and dark black at ripened stage (Fig 6C, D). Fruits
juicy with moderate sweet and acidic pulp. Flowering is in the month of January-
February and fruits ripen in April-May. It is a very common tree species of forests of
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. Most of the tribals are collecting the
fruits directly from the forest area. Fruits are generally collected at green stage to
extract the kernels. Locally chironji is known as achar or charoli and nut is known as
guthali. Chironji makes an important contribution to the tribal economy of these states
alongwith two other species namely Madhuca indica (Mahua) and Diospyros
melanoxylon (Tendu). All these three species are available in the conjunction in the
forest and during summers fruits are collected. These trees play very important role in
the socio-economic condition of tribal population of this area (Fig. 6E).
Propagation: Chironji is propagated through seeds. Vegetative propagation through
soft wood grafting and chip budding is successful but rarely tried as there is no demand
for planting material for commercial cultivation. Presently the trees are available only
in the forest or marginal lands near the villages. It is a highly heterozygous, cross
pollinated fruit crop and seedling selections are required to be identified with desirable
characters.
25
Cultivars/selections: No identified cultivars or selections identified in this important

minor fruit at present as no organized commercial cultivation is practiced. Work is in
progress to identify and release some high yielding, dwarf and suitable selections of
chironji at CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow. There is an urgent need to
identify superior selections /cultivars in chironji for promotion of this highly potential
indigenous horticultural fruit crop. Germplasm already collected and preliminary
characterized may be used for the further detailed characterization and evaluation for
field performance.
Important uses: Bark of tree is used for tanning. Fruit is eaten raw having pleasant,
sweetish, sub-acid flavour and consumed by local people and also sold in the nearby
village markets. Fruits are washed and nuts are dried (Fig. 6F) and stored for selling in
the market. Seed is collected and kernel is extracted either at home or in the large
quantity taken to the local market for mechanical extraction of kernel by breaking the
nut using modified floor mills. Separated seed is an economically important part of the
plant used as dry fruit in traditional sweet dishes. Kernel is of very high value and fetch
Rs. 300-400.00 per Kg in market. Kernel is rich in protein content (20-30%) and
have high oil content (40-50%), which is highly nutritious.
Collection: Genetic resources of chironji have not been given due attention till now,
therefore, very limited collections have been made. Genetic diversity of chironji has
been collected from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Chhatisgarh and
Rajasthan by CHES (CIAH), Godhra, CISH, Lucknow and NBPGR, New Delhi.
CHES (CIAH), Godhra collected 30 variable accessions from Gujarat (Singh, 2007).
At CISH, Lucknow 8 accessions of chironji have been identified and collected from
Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (CISH, Annual report, 2008). Recently, NBPGR,
New Delhi have taken up specific exploration and collection missions in the diversity
rich areas of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan for the collection
of chironji and 74 accessions have been collected. Details of area surveyed and passport
data is given in Fig. 7 and Table 9.
Characterization: 30 accessions collected from Gujarat has been characterized for
physico-chemical characters at CHES (CIAH), Godhra by Singh et al, (2006). 8
collections have been found promising for important horticultural traits and are being
evaluated for field performance at CHES (CIAH), Godhra. Germplasm collected
from the parts of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar have been characterized for fruit
weight, total soluble solids, acidity, protein content and earliness (Rai, 1982).
26
Rajasthan
Gujarat Madhya
Pradesh
Fig. 7: Collection sites of Chironji in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
A large collection of 52 accessions were characterized for fruit and kernel character to
analyze the existing variability in chironji (Table 10). The fruit length x width ranged
from 0.4 cm x 0.8 cm to 1.18 cm x 1.52 cm exhibiting a large variation. The fruit
weight also showed variation from 0.21 to 0.66 gm. Accordingly the kernel also had
similar variation with length x width ranging from 0.36 cm x 0.54 cm to 1.1 cm x 1.3
cm and weighed from 0.03 to 0.65 gm.
Conservation: Chironji is facing severe genetic erosion as a result of activities related
to afforestation in tribal inhabitated areas (Singh, 2007). No organized cultivation of
chironji is practiced and fruits are directly collected from the natural wild trees occurring
in the forest and marginal lands, therefore, the species is facing a great threat.
Occasionally the trees are cut partly or completely by the tribals to collect the fruits.
Many of the populations have been completely wiped off in the recent past due to
developmental activities and want of agriculture land by farmers.
There are no standard cultivars available in chironji since little work has been done to
exploit genetic resources. A number of seedling strains with a lot of variation provide
scope for selection of better varieties (Singh, 2007). When propagated by seed for
root stock preparation, 80-85% germination is achieved. Sulphuric acid treatment
promoted the seed germination (Singh, 2007).
27
In studies at NBPGR a short shelf life of chironji seeds of upto 11 months was noted.
Freshly shed seeds showed 7-8% moisture and about 90% germinability (Table 3).
Seeds on desiccation to about 6% moisture showed a decline in viability by 11-13%.
On exposure to LN, a 8% further decline in viability was apparent. The seeds at
6.02% moisture after cryostorage showed about 70% recovery. Lower recovery
percentages were seen for seeds exposed to LN at suboptimal moisture levels. Naithani
(2001, pers. comm.) recorded similar observations and reported that Buchanania
lanzan seeds stored at fresh moisture content of 16% showed decline in viability to
35-68% after 280 days of storage and those stored at 10 and 7% moisture showed
decline in germinabilty (58-88%) on 280 days of storage. The critical moisture content
was reported by Naithani (2001, pers. comm.) to be between 6.3 and 12.4%. Based
on the desiccation sensitivity and tolerance to freezing, intermediate seed storage
behaviour has been ascertained. Naithani (2001, pers. comm.), however, describe
recalcitrant seed storage behaviour of chironji seeds. 127 accessions collected from
different agroclimatic zones have been successfully cryopreserved at NBPGR (Table 5).
28
Table 9. Passport data of Buchanania lanzan (Chironji) germplasm collected from various states
S . Collector IC Crop Botanical Name Verna- Biolo- District State Lati- Longi-
No. Number Number Name cular gical tude tude
Name Status
1 MD - 812 552919 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Chawar Wild Vadodara Gujarat 22.26 74.13
29
8 MD - 849 552956 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Chawar Wild Dahod Gujarat 22.63 74.10
9 MDS-10/16 584565 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Chawar Wild Vadodara Gujarat 21.41 73.68
12 MD - 825 552932 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Charoli Wild Dhar Madhya Pradesh 22.37 75.38
13 MD - 826 552933 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Charoli Wild Dhar Madhya Pradesh 22.37 75.38
14 MD-302 436990 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar Wild Raisen Madhya Pradesh 23.33 77.80
16 MD-306 436994 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar Wild Sehore Madhya Pradesh 23.20 77.08
18 MD-309 436997 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar Wild Hoshangabad Madhya Pradesh 23.00 78.22
30
22 MD-314 437002 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar Wild Betul Madhya Pradesh 21.97 78.08
23 MD-315 437003 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar Wild Sagar Madhya Pradesh 23.62 78.49
26 MD-323 437011 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar Wild Panna Madhya Pradesh 24.34 79.81
29 MD-326 437014 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar Wild Chattarpur Madhya Pradesh 24.73 79.95
35 MD-06/24 546107 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Chironji Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.32 74.40
38 RS/NSP-22 553215 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/CharWild Chhindwara Madhya Pradesh 22.21 78.44
31
39 RS/NSP-23 553216 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/Char Wild Chhindwara Madhya Pradesh 22.24 78.37
41 RS/NSP-26 553219 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/Char Wild Hoshangabad Madhya Pradesh 22.30 78.27
48 RS/NSP-4 553197 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/Char Wild Narsinghpur Madhya Pradesh 22.51 79.19
32
54 RS/NSP-1 553194 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/Char Wild Raisen Madhya Pradesh 23.06 77.54
58 RS/NSP-33 553226 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/Char Wild Sehore Madhya Pradesh 22.48 77.40
61 RS/NSP-11 553204 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/Char Wild Seoni Madhya Pradesh 22.32 79.35
67 RS/NSP-38 553231 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/Char Wild Vidisha Madhya Pradesh 23.65 78.15
68 RS/NSP-39 553232 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/Char Wild Vidisha Madhya Pradesh 23.40 78.07
33
74 RS/NSP-36 553229 Chironji Buchanania lanzan Achar/Char Wild Bhopal Madhya Pradesh 23.24 77.32
Table 10. Characterization of Buchanania lanzan (Chironji) germplasm based on fruits and seeds characters
S.No. Coll. No. IC No. Fruit Seed
Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (gm) Length (cm) Width (cm) Wt (gm)
1 MD-812 552919 0.94 (±0.02) 1.08 (±0.02) 0.44 (±0.02) 0.70 (±0.03) 0.50 (±0.00) 0.07 (±0.00)
2 MD-813 552920 1.05 (±0.05) 1.04(±0.05) 0.37(±0.02) 0.68(±0.04) 0.52(±0.03) 0.06(±0.01)
3 MD-814 552921 1.22(±0.03) 1.16(±0.02) 0.61(±0.03) 0.78(±0.03) 0.54(±0.02) 0.25(±0.15)
4 MD-815 552922 0.98(±0.05) 1.18(±0.03) 0.49(±0.04) 0.54(±0.04) 0.72(±0.04) 0.07(±0.01)
5 MD-816 552923 0.9(±0.03) 0.82(±0.08) 0.39(±0.02) 0.62(±0.02) 0.5(±0.04) 0.21(±0.09)
34
6 MD-817 552924 1.16(±0.04) 1.16(±0.02) 0.56(±0.02) 0.86(±0.02) 0.66(±0.02) 0.1(±0.01)
7 MD-818 552925 1.16(±0.02) 1.16(±0.04) 0.47(±0.03) 0.76(±0.02) 0.57(±0.02) 0.06(±0.01)
8 MD-825 552932 1.08(±0.02) 1.1(±0.020) 0.39(±0.01) 0.68(±0.02) 0.48(±0.02) 0.06(±0.00)
9 MD-826 552933 1.08(±0.02) 1.1(±0.020) 0.39(±0.01) 0.74(±0.02) 0.58(±0.04) 0.09(±0.01)
10 MD-849 552956 1.22(±0.02) 1.1(±0.03) 0.44(±0.01) 0.74(±0.02) 0.54(±0.02) 0.08(±0.00)
11 MD-06/24 546107 1.4(±0.03) 1.2(±0.00) 0.58(±0.03) 1.3(±0.00) 1.1(±0.00) 0.36(±0.01)

12 MD-06/26 546109 1.43(±0.04) 1.03(±0.04) 0.55(±0.02) 1.15(±0.02) 0.83(±0.02) 0.24(±0.01)
13 MD-10/16 584565 1.00(±0.03) 0.43(±0.18) 0.31(±0.02) 0.66(±0.00) 0.47(±0.00) 0.06(±0.00)
14 MD-10/17 584566 1.18(±0.02) 1.16(±0.03) 0.51(±0.02) 0.78(±0.02) 0.58(±0.01) 0.11(±0.01)
15 MD-10/18 584567 1.09(±0.02) 1.00(±0.01) 0.35(±0.01) 0.67(±0.02) 0.51(±0.03) 0.07(±0.01)

16 RS/NSP – 1 553194 1.28(±0.07) 0.98(±0.03) 0.46(±0.01) 0.7(±0.04) 0.46(±0.02) 0.08(±0.00)
17 RS/NSP – 2 553195 1.14(±0.02) 1.08(±0.02) 0.47(±0.02) 0.78(±0.02) 0.6(±0.00) 0.08(±0.00)
18 RS/NSP – 3 553196 1.06(±0.04) 0.96(±0.05) 0.42(±0.02) 0.76(±0.02) 0.54(±0.02) 0.06(±0.00)
19 RS/NSP – 4 553197 1.06(±0.04) 1(±0.04) 0.33(±0.02) 0.66(±0.07) 0.5(±0.05) 0.05(±0.01)
20 RS/NSP – 5 553198 1.08(±0.02) 1.04(±0.02) 0.4(±0.03) 0.72(±0.02) 0.54(±0.02) 0.08(±0.01)
21 RS/NSP – 7 553200 0.92(±0.02) 0.82(±0.02) 0.24(±0.02) 0.58(±0.02) 0.44(±0.02) 0.04(±0.00)
22 RS/NSP – 8 553201 0.96(±0.02) 1.02(±0.02) 0.29(±0.01) 0.68(±0.02) 0.44(±0.02) 0.04(±0.00)
23 RS/NSP – 9 553202 1.08(±0.03) 0.98(±0.03) 0.45(±0.04) 0.62(±0.02) 0.5(±0.03) 0.06(±0.01)
24 RS/NSP – 10 553203 1(±0.03) 0.94(±0.02) 0.32(±0.03) 0.7(±0.03) 0.48(±0.02) 0.05(±0.01)
25 RS/NSP – 11 553204 0.94(±0.02) 0.92(±0.03) 0.29(±0.01) 0.64(±0.02) 0.5(±0.03) 0.06(±0.00)
35
26 RS/NSP – 12 553205 1.16(±0.05) 1.12(±0.03) 0.5(±0.05) 0.76(±0.02) 0.58(±0.02) 0.08(±0.01)
27 RS/NSP – 13 553206 0.86(±0.02) 1(±0.00) 0.3(±0.01) 0.76(±0.02) 0.52(±0.02) 0.08(±0.01)
28 RS/NSP – 14 553207 0.94(±0.05) 0.92(±0.04) 0.28(±0.04) 0.62(±0.05) 0.46(±0.04) 0.06(±0.01)
29 RS/NSP – 15 553208 1(±0.03) 1(±0.03) 0.41(±0.03) 0.62(±0.05) 0.48(±0.04) 0.06(±0.01)
30 RS/NSP – 16 553209 1(±0.04) 1.06(±0.02) 0.37(±0.01) 0.7(±0.03) 0.52(±0.02) 0.07(±0.01)
31 RS/NSP – 17 553210 1.04(±0.05) 1(±0.00) 0.28(±0.02) 0.56(±0.05) 0.36(±0.07) 0.03(±0.01)

32 RS/NSP – 18 553211 0.8(±0.03) 0.9(±0.03) 0.24(±0.02) 0.6(±0.03) 0.46(±0.02) 0.05(±0.01)
33 RS/NSP – 19 553212 1.06(±0.04) 1.06(±0.02) 0.32(±0.01) 0.58(±0.04) 0.42(±0.03) 0.04(±0.01)
34 RS/NSP – 20 553213 0.9(±0.03) 0.98(±0.02) 0.29(±0.02) 0.7(±0.03) 0.48(±0.02) 0.08(±0.01)

35 RS/NSP – 21 553214 1.06(±0.04) 1(±0.04) 0.42(±0.02) 0.64(±0.02) 0.52(±0.02) 0.07(±0.01)
36 RS/NSP – 22 553215 1.52(±0.07) 1.06(±0.05) 0.66(±0.02) 1.04(±0.02) 0.86(±0.04) 0.47(±0.08)
37 RS/NSP – 23 553216 1.14(±0.02) 1.1(±0.05) 0.56(±0.04) 0.92(±0.03) 0.96(±0.04) 0.27(±0.02)
38 RS/NSP – 25 553218 1.1(±0.00) 1(±0.03) 0.44(±0.01) 0.7(±0.00) 0.52(±0.02) 0.07(±0.00)
39 RS/NSP – 26 553219 1.16(±0.05) 1.1(±0.03) 0.51(±0.05) 0.66(±0.06) 0.46(±0.06) 0.06(±0.02)
40 RS/NSP – 27 553220 1.1(±0.06) 1.06(±0.07) 0.53(±0.06) 0.68(±0.03) 0.52(±0.03) 0.07(±0.01)
41 RS/NSP – 28 553221 1.04(±0.02) 0.94(±0.02) 0.36(±0.03) 0.72(±0.02) 0.52(±0.02) 0.08(±0.00)
42 RS/NSP – 29 553222 0.98(±0.05) 0.9(±0.03) 0.28(±0.03) 0.66(±0.02) 0.5(±0.03) 0.05(±0.01)
43 RS/NSP – 30 553223 0.88(±0.03) 0.84(±0.04) 0.21(±0.02) 0.63(±0.02) 0.5(±0.00) 0.05(±0.01)
44 RS/NSP – 31 553224 0.92(±0.02) 0.96(±0.04) 0.26(±0.01) 0.66(±0.02) 0.54(±0.02) 0.08(±0.01)
36
45 RS/NSP – 32 553225 1.1(±0.03) 1.1(±0.00) 0.49(±0.02) 0.78(±0.02) 0.6(±0.00) 0.1(±0.00)
46 RS/NSP – 33 553226 1.2(±0.04) 1.12(±0.02) 0.6(±0.02) 0.74(±0.02) 0.54(±0.02) 0.08(±0.00)
47 RS/NSP – 34 553227 1.08(±0.03) 1.08(±0.04) 0.42(±0.02) 0.73(±0.02) 0.57(±0.02) 0.05(±0.02)
48 RS/NSP – 35 553228 1.06(±0.04) 1.06(±0.04) 0.44(±0.02) 0.68(±0.04) 0.54(±0.02) 0.08(±0.00)
49 RS/NSP – 36 553229 1.06(±0.05) 1.02(±0.04) 0.39(±0.06) 0.7(±0.05) 0.52(±0.03) 0.08(±0.01)
50 RS/NSP – 37 553230 0.98(±0.04) 0.88(±0.02) 0.65(±0.54) 0.64(±0.02) 0.48(±0.02) 0.28(±0.02)

51 RS/NSP – 38 553231 0.96(±0.02) 0.98(±0.03) 0.27(±0.01) 0.74(±0.02) 0.54(±0.04) 0.07(±0.01)
52 RS/NSP – 39 553232 1.18(±0.03) 1.08(±0.04) 0.41(±0.04) 0.68(±0.04) 0.53(±0.02) 0.06(±0.01)

37
3.3 Capparis decidua (Ker)
Botanical name: Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew, syn. C. aphylla Roth.

Common name: Ker, Teet, Dela, Kair
Family: Capparidaceae
Origin and distribution: C. decidua is native to Indian subcontinent and distributed
as natural wild in the arid and semi arid regions of north-west India mainly in the Indian
desert, which covers the parts of western Rajasthan. Besides, this species is widely
distributed in the drier parts of Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab.
General description: C. decidua is a succulent, spiny bush or occasionally a small
tree (Fig. 8A). Branches numerous, divaricating forming a sub-globose crown. Leaves
are present only in the young shoots, stipules thorny, nearly straight. Unique feature of
this plant is that leaves are produced when soil moisture is depleted to its maximum.
Flowers, pinkish-red and rarely yellow. Fruits globose or ovoid berry with many seeds,
green when immature and turn shining red at ripening stage (Fig. 8D). It flowers two
times a year during February-March and July-August. Seeds show dimorphism with
variable morphological features. This species is highly tolerant and adapted well to
extreme temperatures and drought conditions. Fruits are directly harvested from the
natural wild bushes by local people and sold in the local market for very good price of
Rs. 50-60/- per kg. From fully developed bush 5-15 kg of immature fruits are collected.
Propagation: Species is occurring in natural wild and propagation is through seeds.
Propagation is also reported through root suckers in nature. It can be multiplied by
seeds and also spreads by root suckers (Chandra et al, 1994).Vegetative propagation
is attempted through hard wood and semi-hard wood cuttings.
Cultivars/selections: No identified cultivars or selections have reported in this species
till now, however, some promising accessions with good horticulture characters have
been collected and established at field genebank at CCSHAU, Regional Research
Station, Bawal, NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur and CIAH, Bikaner. These
collections are to be evaluated and suitable selections or cultivars are to be released
for organized cultivation of this highly economically important fruit species.
38
Important uses: Plant produces hard, heavy and termite resistant timber. Unripe
fruits are edible and used as fresh vegetable and also pickled in various ways. Fully
ripen fruits are sweet and eaten raw by local people. Fruits are rich in proteins,
carbohydrates and minerals. Seeds contain approximately 20% of edible oil. Root
bark and stem are reported to contain a spermidine alkaloid and isocodonocarpine
effective in treatment of asthma, inflammation and cough (Ahmad et al., 1989).
Collection: C. decidua germplasm has been collected from Rajasthan, Haryana and
Gujarat, 57 accessions have been collected by NBPGR in collaboration with
CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal, based on prolific bearing, branches
with less or no spines and bold fruit size. 65 collections have been made by CIAH,
Bikaner and elite type have been identified. Enormous variability have been reported
in plants growth habit, spiny nature, branching pattern, foliage colour, flowering and
fruiting behavior, fruit shape, size and colour, number of seeds per fruit etc. There is a
need to collect more germplasm of C. decidua from the western Rajasthan and
adjoining area of Punjab and Haryana as populations of this important multipurpose
indigenous fruits are vanishing fast due to the large scale developmental activities,
urbanization and arrival of Rajasthan canal in this area. Due to enhanced irrigation
through canal network in several of these districts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab
namely Bikaner, Sriganganagar, Suratgarh, Hanumangarh, Sirsa, Hisar, Abohar and
Fazilka, wild populations of this species have already been squeezed. Passport data
of collected germplasm is given in the Table 11 and locations of collection has been
depicted in the Fig. 9.
Characterization: Germplasm of C. decidua has been characterized based on plant
characters in the field. CIAH, Bikaner have made 65 collections and elite type have
been identified based on plants growth habit, spiny nature, branching pattern, foliage
colour, flowering and fruiting behavior, fruit shape, size and colour, number of seeds
per fruit etc. Prolific fruiting type and genotypes with less or no spines have been
identified during exploration in the parts of Haryana and Rajasthan by NBPGR.
Accessions IC345829, IC345837, IC345840, IC345842 and IC345845 have been
found to be with less or no spines, while accessions numbers IC345819 and IC561789
have been identified for prolific bearing and bold fruits. Some of the accessions have
been characterized based on fruit and seed characters (Table 12). A total of 6
accessions were characterized for fruit and seed characters. Fruit showed large variation
in TSS, however, length and width did not vary much. The fruit length x width varied
from 0.23 cm x 0.26 cm to 0.29 cm x 0.31 cm and seed diameter from 0.23 to 0.88
cm. TSS values ranging from 17.25 to 23.55 ºB were recorded. Sizable variability
39
Haryana
Rajasthan
Gujarat
Fig. 9: Collection sites of Ker from Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat
was observed in seed size, shape and color in this species (Fig. 7F). Presence of
dimorphic seeds have been reported in C. decidua during characterization of
germplasm collected from Rajasthan (Paul and Sen, 1987). Seeds weighed only 1/
10th of the weight of the whole fruits. The heaviest fruits having high TSS and light
seeds were seen in accessions IC561789, 561770 and 561795.
Conservation: Conservation of ker germplasm is presently being undertaken using
ex situ conservation approach at ICAR institutes and state agricultural universities
located in Rajasthan and Haryana. Germplasm in the filed genebank is being maintained
at CAZRI, Jodhpur (20 accessions), CIAH, Bikaner (65 accessions), CCSHAU,
Regional Research Station, Bawal and NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur (22
accessions).
Deora and Shekhawat (1995) mentioned the short seed viability in this species
and limited establishment of new seedlings in the nature. Micropropagation of ker has
been successfully reported by them with 3-5 shoots per explants using in vitro culture
of nodal explants. In studies undertaken at NBPGR, seed germination ranged from
50-90% and moisture from 29 to 30% and lost half of their germinability by 6 months
storage at room temperature (Table 4). The seeds on desiccation to critical moisture
content of 8% showed 14% decline in viability, however, survival in LN remained
40
unchanged. Hence, seeds desiccated to 7% moisture content showed recovery of

80% after cryostorage. Based on short seed longevity and desiccation sensitivity,
seeds have been categorized as intermediate in this species. Seed storage behavior
has been reported as intermediate (ICRAF Agroforestry Tree Database). A total of
88 diverse accessions have been successfully cryostored at NBPGR, New Delhi
(Table 5).
41
Table 11. Passport data of Capparis decidua (Ker) germplasm collected from various states
S.No. Collector IC Crop Botanical Verna- Biolo- District State Lati- Longi-
Number Number Name Name cular gical tude tude
Name Status
1 MKD-102 524058 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Rewari Haryana 28.24 76.53
4 MD-08/1 561770 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Jhunjhunu Rajasthan 28.04 75.44
5 MD-08/2 561771 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Jhunjhunu Rajasthan 28.04 75.44
6 MDG-08/20 561789 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Jaisalmer Rajasthan 26.76 70.76
42
7 MDG-08/26 561795 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Jodhpur Rajasthan 26.45 70.30
8 MDG-08/27 561796 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Jodhpur Rajasthan 26.03 73.05
9 MD-08/9 561778 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Bikaner Rajasthan 28.02 73.14
10 MKD-6 345778 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Alwar Rajasthan 28.00 76.29
11 MKD-92 524048 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Alwar Rajasthan 27.86 76.32
13 MKD-52 345824 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Bhiwani Haryana 28.45 75.82
17 MKD-56 345828 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Hisar Haryana 28.93 75.64
43
30 MKD-22 345794 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 29.28 76.83
45 MKD-69 345841 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Rohtak Haryana 28.83 76.40
44
50 MKD-79 345851 Ker Capparis decidua Teet Wild Gurgaon Haryana 28.23 77.07
54 MKD-37 345809 Ker Capparis decidua Ker Wild Jhunjhunu Rajasthan 28.19 75.45
57 MD-124 395838 Ker Capparis decidua Ker Wild Bharuch Gujarat 21.70 72.97
Table 12. Characterization of Capparis deciduas (Ker) germplasm based on fruits and seeds characters
S.No. Coll. No. IC No. Fruit Seed
Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (gm) TSS Diam. (cm) Weight (gm)
1 MD-08/1 561770 0.29(±0.01) 0.30(±0.01) 4.33(±0.18) 21.80(±0.39) 0.27(±0.01) 0.44(±0.01)
2 MD-08/2 561771 0.23(±0.01) 0.27(±0.01) 4.23(±0.10) 19.25(±0.37) 0.32(±0.01) 0.44(±0.01)
45
3 MD-08/9 561778 0.29(±0.00) 0.31(±0.01) 5.07(±0.06) 17.60(±0.23) 0.88(±0.36) 0.57(±0.01)
4 MDG-20 561789 0.28(±0.02) 0.26(±0.01) 5.55(±0.12) 23(±1.58) 0.23(±0.01) 0.51(±0.01)
5 MDG-26 561795 0.25(±0.00) 0.30(±0.02) 4.13(±0.11) 23.55(±0.36) 0.26(±0.02) 0.44(±0.01)
6 MDG-27 561796 0.28(±0.01) 0.29(±0.01) 5.05(±0.17) 17.25(±0.37) 0.32(±0.01) 0.49(±0.03)

46
3.4 Carissa species (Karonda)
Botanical name: Carissa species- C. carandas L, syn. C. congesta Wight.; C.

spinarum L. and C. grandiflora Bert. Ex A. DC.
Common name: C. carandus -Karonda, Karmada, Karvanda; C. spinarum –
Kaunda, Kalivi; C. grandiflora- Natal plum.
Family: Apocynaceae
Origin and distribution: C. carandas and C. spinarum are native to India (Index
Kewensis, 1985-190) while C. grandiflora is native to South Africa. C. carandus is
also grown in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. In India it is
found wild in the Western Ghats, Konkan area of Maharashtra and throughout the
semi-arid regions. It is widely cultivated in the home gardens, farmer’s fields and
orchards as hedge plant and occasionally few plants are grown for commercial purpose.
Carissa species has been of much socio-economic importance in the tribal area of
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
General description: Karonda is a small to big shrub usually 2-4 m tall (Fig. 10A).
The stem is rich in white latex and the branches contain sharp spines (Fig. 10B).
Flowers are small, measuring 3-5 cm in diameter, with white colour. The fruit is a
berry, which is formed in clusters of 3-10 fruits. The fruit is globose to broad ovoid in
shape and contains many seeds. Young fruits are pinkish white and become red to
dark purple when mature. At maturity fruit color vary from white, green and pinkish
red depending on the genotype. Seed 3-5 per fruit, blackish brown, flat, eleptical light
in weight. Flowering starts in the month of January-February and fruits mature in May-
June. Fruits are generally harvested at immature stage for vegetable purpose, fully
ripen fruits are consumed fresh or processed.
Propagation: Karonda is usually propagated by seeds and seeds are to be sown
immediately after extraction as longevity of seeds is short. Vegetative propagation is
attempted using air layering but rarely used for propagation. Softwood grafting success
is 40-50% in karonda (Singh and Ravishankar, 2010).
47
Cultivars/selections: In karonda no known cultivars have been developed, however,

few selections based on location and quality of fruits have been identified. Some of the
known selections are PK-3, PK-4, Pant Manohar, Pant Dudarshan and Pant Suvarna
from Horticultural Research Station, GBPUAT, Regional Station Patharchatta and
two selections from ANDUAT, Faizabad namely Maroon colored and White pink
blush have been identified.
Important uses: Immature fruits are used as vegetable while mature fruits are eaten
raw. Fruits are processed as pickle, jam, jelly and marmalade for home use and now
commercial preparations are also made for domestic use and for export by food
processing companies. The fruit is very sour at maturity but it is sourish sweet when
ripe. It is eaten fresh or stewed with salt or sugar. In Rajasthan karonda fruits are
commonly cooked with green chillies to make a tasty dish taken with chapattis. Karonda
bushes are suitable for hedging in the home gardens and are sometimes grown as an
ornamental plant due to its beautiful cherry-like fruits. Fruits are very rich source of
iron and vitamin C, therefore, ethnomedically the fruits are used for curing anemia and
as an astringent, antiscorbutic and as a remedy for biliousness. A leaf decoction is used
against fever, diarrhoea, and ear ache. The roots serve as a stomachic, vermifuge and
remedy for itches and insect repellent.
Collection: Genetic diversity of karonda is spread throughout India, however, main
areas of variability exists in the states of Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh,
Orissa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and in the western Ghats. Aravali Hills
of Haryana and Rajasthan mainly the Mt. Abu, Chittorgarh and Sirohi districts are rich
in diversity. Germplasm of Carissa species have been widely collected from
Maharashtra, 212 collections have been made from Kolhapur (Sawant et al., 2003)
and being maintained at College of Agriculture, Kolhapur. Germplasm have also been
collected from eight districts of western Maharashtra, one district of Marathwada and
one of Goa and 111 accessions from 45 locations have been collected and classified
for fruit characters (Ghate et al., 1997). At NBPGR germplasm of C. congesta and C.
spinarum have been collected from the natural wild populations of Rajasthan, Gujarat
and Madhya Pradesh (Fig. 11). While C. grandiflora was collected from field genebank
of Regional Research Station, PAU, Abohar where two plants of this species are being
maintained since last several decades. No work on popularization of this species has
been undertaken in India, inspite of bearing promising horticulture traits like bold fruits
size with good amount of pulp, bright red colour at ripen stage and very good sour-
sweetish taste (Fig. 10F). The passport data of collected germplasm is given in Table 13.
48
Punjab
Rajasthan
Madhya Pradesh
Fig. 11: Collection sites of Karonda from Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
Characterization: Collected germplasm of karonda have been characterised for plant

type specially less spines, fruit colour, size, shape, bearing, pulp colour, taste, number
of seeds per fruit etc. 16 distinct types of karonda genotypes have been identified
based on these characters from the germplasm collected from western Maharashtra
(Ghate et al., 1999). At MPKV, Rahuri four promising genotypes were identified
(Karale et al., 1989). Singh et al. (1999) identified 4 genotypes of Karonda based on
colour of the fruits and grouped in to, green, green with purple blush, white with pink
blush and maroon. Quality characters of fruits and field performance of karonda
selections PK-3, PK-4, Pant Manohar, Pant Sudarshan and Pant Suvarna have been
evaluated at GBPUAT Regional Station, Patharchatta (Mishra and Jaiswal, 1998).
Based on morphological characterization of fruits and seeds of 8 accessions of Carissa,
fruit length, width and weight showed large variation (Table 14). Over all the fruit
length varied from 1.05 cm to 2.09 cm, width varied from 0.85 to 1.44 cm and weight
varied from 0.40 gm to 2.09 gm. Not much variation in seed weight was recorded as
values ranged from 0.02 in IC 546088 to 0.06 gm in IC546100. The largest and
heaviest fruits with smaller seed were recorded in accession IC546088.
Conservation: Germplasm of karonda and its wild species is being maintained at
various field genebanks in the country mainly in the states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat. Major centres where germplasm is being maintained are College
49
of Agriculture, Kolhapur (212), MPKV, Rahuri; CAZRI, Jodhpur (13); CISH,

Lucknow (25 superior genotypes); CIAH, Bikaner (5); ANDUAT, Faizabad;
CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (4); NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur.
Seeds of karonda have short viability and should be sown just after extraction from
fruits (Kumar et al., 2007). Our studies at NBPGR have led to categorization of seed
storage behaviour as intermediate. Fresh seeds exhibited 18.4% moisture and 72%
germinability. Seeds showed shelf life of 5-6 months with 50% decline in germinability
by 3 months (Table 4). Seeds showed slight desiccation sensitivity and high freezing
tolerance as on desiccation to 9% moisture, a 12% decline in viability was recorded.
Seeds desiccated to critical moisture content between 6-8% showed survival of 65-
70 % after LN exposure. In Cryogenebank 14 accessions of Carissa spp. comprising
9 of C. carandas, 1 each of C. edulis and C. grandiflora and 3 of C. spinarum have
been cryostored (Table 5).
50
Table 13. Passport data of Carissa species germplasm collected from various states
S. Collector IC Crop Botanical Name Verna- Biolo- District State Lati- Longi-
No. Name Number Name cular gical tude tude
Name Status
1 MD-10/31 584580 Karonda Carissa carandas Karmada Wild Ratlam Madhya Pradesh 23.18 75.14
2 MD-10/32 584581 Karonda Carissa carandas Karmada Wild Ratlam Madhya Pradesh 23.18 75.14
3 MD-06/33 546116 Karonda Carissa carandas Karonda Wild Sirohi Rajasthan 24.76 72.69
4 MD-06/13 546096 Karonda Carissa carandas Karmada Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.41 74.93
51
7 MD-06/17 546100 Karonda Carissa carandas Karmada Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.32 74.40
8 MD-06/18 546101 Karonda Carissa carandas Karmada Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.32 74.40
9 MD-06/5 546088 Karonda Carissa carandas Karonda Wild Ajmer Rajasthan 26.57 74.70
10 MD-493 470389 Natal plum Carissa grandiflora Natal plum Cultivated Abohar Punjab 30.15 74.18
11 MD-06/34 546117 Karonda Carissa spinarum Karonda Wild Sirohi Rajasthan 24.76 72.69
Table 14. Characterization of Carissa species germplasm based on fruits and

seeds characters
S. No. Coll. No. IC No. Fruit Fruit Fruit Seed

length width weight weight
(cm) (cm) (gm) (gm)
1 MD-06/5 546088 2.09 1.44 2.09 0.02
2 MD-06/13 546096 1.28 1.09 0.79 0.06
3 MD-06/14 546097 1.05 0.93 0.40 0.03
4 MD-06/15 546098 1.11 0.85 0.40 0.03
5 MD-06/17 546100 1.43 1.16 0.93 0.06
6 MD-06/18 546101 1.24 1.10 0.72 0.05
7 MD-06/33 546116 1.26 1.11 0.89 0.05
8 MD-06/34 546117 1.35 0.93 0.63 0.05
52
53
3.5 Cordia species (Lasora)
Botanical name: Cordia species - C. myxa L., syn. C. dichotoma Forst. F. ; C.

rothii Roem. syn. C. gharaf (Forst. f.) Ehrenb. and Asch.; C. crenata Delile Fl.
Common name: English - Indian cherry; Vernacular–Lasora, Laseda, Gonda, Gondi
Family: Boraginaceae
Origin and distribution: Native of Northwestern India (Stewart and Brandis, 1992)
and distributed throughout country mainly in warmer regions upto altitude of 5,000 ft.,
it is found as natural wild and occasionally cultivated. C. myxa is grown in the
homestead gardens, backyards and farmers fields as isolated tree or few in numbers.
General description: Medium sized tree, deciduous, leaves simple, alternate, leathery
in texture, variable in shape and size, broadly ovate or cut into margin, tip obtuse, base
rounded or cordate. Fruit drupe, rounded or pear shaped, containing sticky pulp in
which seed is embedded. Immature fruits are green which turn yellow to pink when
mature (Fig. 12A). Flowering occurs during February-March and fruits are harvested
during May-June. Tree of Cordia crenata is smaller than C. myxa and fruits are acute
and smaller in size. C. rothii is a small spreading tree (Fig. 12F) with long, cuneate-
oblong, entire leaves, fruits are very small turn shining reddish when mature and highly
mucilagenous and sweet.
Propagation: Lasora is propagated through seeds, freshly harvested seeds are used
for raising seedlings. Vegetative propagation through budding is successful but rarely
taken up. Recently it has been reported to be propagated through patch budding with
70-80% success (Singh et al, 2010).
Cultivars/selections: There are no identified cultivars or selections available in lasora.
Some farmer’s selections are used for raising new plants. There is no organized
cultivation of this fruit, however, recently some progressive farmers have started small
commercial orchards in Rajasthan and Haryana using local selections (Fig. 12C).
Fruits are in high demand for processing as pickle and for other medicinal uses. Therefore,
future of this fruit species is very high and commercial cultivation would be picking up
especially in the north, west and central India.
54
Important uses: Unripe fresh fruits are acrid and used for vegetable and pickle. Ripe
fruits are eaten fresh. Fruit pulp is rich in carbohydrates, extractive matter and ash.
Fruit is highly mucilaginous and used in cough mixture to cure diseases of chest and is
given in bilious infections as a laxative. Fruit of lasora fetch Rs. 50-80/- per kg in the
urban markets and are always in the high demand.

Collection: Genetic diversity of Cordia species especially C. myxa has been collected
by NBPGR from Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh
and Uttar Pradesh. 134 accessions of various Cordia species have been collected.
45 accessions of elite germplasm have been collected by NBPGR in collaboration
with CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal from Rewari, Mahendergarh and
Bhiwani districts of Haryana and germplasm was established at field genebank at
CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal and NBPGR, Regional Station, Jodhpur.
At NBPGR 57 accessions comprising of C. myxa, C. crenata and C. rothii have
been collected from six states of India. Collected germplasm represented the sizable
diversity in fruit weight, shape, size, surface feature, pulp content, seed size, weight
and shape. One promising accession with bold fruits, shining surface and prolific bearing
Himachal Pradesh
Haryana
Rajasthan
Gujarat Madhya Pradesh
Fig. 13: Collection sites of Cordia species from various states
55
have been identified by local farmers near Kotputli, Rajasthan. Details of germplasm
has been given in Table15 and locations of germplasm collections has been presented
in the Fig 13.
Characterization: Germplasm of C. myxa collected from various sources have been
characterized based on morphological traits of fruit and seed characters. Singh et al.
(1999) identified two types of lasora fruits based on fruit maturity one early type with
small, turnip shaped fruits and another late type with large size and spherical shape
fruits. There are no standard varieties of lasora, however, they can be grouped into
two on the basis of their fruit size namely bold and small fruits (Kaushik and Dwivedi,
2004). At NBPGR a total of 24 accessions were used for physico-chemical
characterization. Characterization data has been presented in the Table 16. Fruits
were ovoid to oval in shape. Fruit length varied from 1.41 cm to 2.72 cm and width
from 1.29 to 2.92 cm. Fruit weight showed large variation from 1.12 gm to 9.82 gm
with TSS ranging from 0.680 B to 1.140 B. Pulp thickness was recorded to range from
0.23cm to 0.56cm. With regard to variability in seed characters and length ranged
from 1.01cm to 1.17cm and width from 1.07cm to 1.91cm. Seed weight showed
large variation amongst the accessions as it varied from 0.21g to 1.26 g. Among all the
accessions seven were found better in terms of economic value for large fruits, higher
TSS, pulp thickness and small ligher seeds. These accesions are IC546090 for high
fruit length and width, followed by IC564563. Highest TSS were found in accession
IC564553, 564548 and 564553. Pulpiest fruits were found in IC564547, 564559
and 564556. The lightest seeds was found in IC564550, 564555 and 564563.
Conservation: Germplasm of lasora is being conserved in the field genebank at
CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (30), CIAH, Bikaner (65), NBPGR
Regional Station, Jodhpur (73) and ANDUAT, Faizabad.
Lasora is generally propagated by seeds. In addition budding can be successfully
done on seedling rootstocks during July-September. Detailed studies conducted at
NBPGR showed that seeds are shed at about 25% moisture and exhibit high
germinability (94%). Seeds exhibit desiccation tolerance (Table 4). However, when
exposed to LN, a 14 % decline in viability was recorded indicating freezing sensitivity
of seeds which led to its characterization as intermediate seed storage behaviour.
Seeds showed 50% decline in viability by 6 months. Seeds with high recovery were
obtained on cryostorage between 6-8% moisture content. Seeds of C. myxa (24
accessions), C. crenata (3 accs), C. obliqua (1 acc) and C. rothii (9 accs) has been
cryostored successfully (Table 5).
56
Table 15. Passport data of Cordia species germplasm collected from various states
S. Collector IC Crop Botanical Verna- Biolo- District State Lati- Longi-

No. Number Number Name Name cular gical tude tude
Name Status
1 MD-975 553682 Indian cherry Cordia crenata Gond Wild Mandi Himachal Pradesh 31.35 76.52
2 MKD-19 345791 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasora Wild Rewari Haryana 28.10 76.51
3 MKD-21 345793 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasora Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 28.27 76.25
57
6 MKD-51 345823 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasora Wild Bhiwani Haryana 28.79 76.36
7 MKD-64 345836 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasora Cultivated Hisar Haryana 29.09 75.99
13 MD-339 553646 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasyada Wild Kangra Himachal Pradesh 32.12 76.11
18 MDS-1 564544 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasooda Wild Una Himachal Pradesh 31.25 76.20
19 MDS-10 564553 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasooda Wild Kangra Himachal Pradesh 31.52 76.15
20 MDS-11 564554 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasooda Cultivated Hamirpur Himachal Pradesh 31.47 76.20
58
22 MDS-13 564556 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasiyada Wild Hamirpur Himachal Pradesh 31.46 76.20
23 MDS-15 564558 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Looseda Cultivated Hamirpur Himachal Pradesh 31.46 76.24
24 MDS-16 564559 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasiyada Wild Kangra Himachal Pradesh 31.57 76.27
27 MDS-20 564563 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasiyada Wild Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh 31.31 76.38
28 MDS-22 564565 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasiyada Wild Bilaspur Himachal Pradesh 31.23 76.45
35 MDS-9 564552 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasooda Wild Kangra Himachal Pradesh 31.50 76.10
36 MD-301 436989 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Laveda Wild Guna Madhya Pradesh 24.65 77.32
59
37 MD-06/29 546112 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Gonda Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.93 74.66
38 MD-06/4 546087 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Gonda Cultivated Ajmer Rajasthan 26.45 74.54
39 MD-06/45 546128 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Gonda Wild Sirohi Rajasthan 24.85 72.87
42 MD-06/8 546091 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Gonda Wild Bhilwara Rajasthan 25.13 74.69
43 MKD-103 524059 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasora Wild Alwar Rajasthan 27.96 76.81
45 MKD-94 524050 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasora Cultivated Jaipur Rajasthan 27.73 76.16
46 MKD-95 524051 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasora Cultivated Alwar Rajasthan 27.88 76.38
49 MD-339 437027 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasora Wild Datia Madhya Pradesh 25.66 78.46
50 MD-06/23 546106 Indian cherry Cordia myxa Lasora Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.32 74.40
52 MD - 805 552912 Gondi Cordia rothii Gond Wild Vadodara Gujarat 21.83 73.20
53 MD - 841 552948 Gondi Cordia rothii Gondi Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.47 75.43
54 MD-06/31 546114 Gondi Cordia rothii Gondi Wild Udaipur Rajasthan 24.34 73.61
55 MD-06/35 546118 Gondi Cordia rothii Gondi Wild Sirohi Rajasthan 25.17 73.08
60
56 MD-255 423589 Gondi Cordia rothii Gondi Wild Pali Rajasthan 25.81 73.41
57 MKD-104 524060 Gondi Cordia rothii Gondi Wild Alwar Rajasthan 27.96 76.81
Table 16. Characterization of Cordia species germplasm based on fruits and seeds characters
S. Coll. No IC No. Fruit Seed

No. Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (g) TSS Length (cm) Width (cm) Thickness (cm) Weight (g)
1 MD-06/6 546089 2.01(±0.04) 1.82(±0.04) 3.64(±0.24) 0.88(±0.04) 1.61(±0.04) 1.55(±0.08) 0.86(±0.07) 0.77(±0.01)
2 MD-06/7 546090 2.72(±0.12) 2.74(±0.04) 11.53(±0.57) 0.84(±0.05) 1.66(±0.02) 1.44(±0.05) 0.95(±0.04) 0.80(±0.03)
3 MD-06/08 546091 2.07(±0.03) 1.88(±0.03) 3.82(±0.15) 0.88(±0.04) 1.59(±0.04) 1.26(±0.04) 0.82(±0.02) 0.55(±0.03)
4 MD-06/23 546106 1.80(±0.05) 1.48(±0.03) 1.91(±0.14) 0.83(±0.05) 1.36(±0.06) 1.10(±0.03) 0.73(±0.03) 0.31(±0.02)
5 MD-06/29 546112 2.06(±0.05) 1.85(±0.05) 3.58(±0.25) 0.72(±0.05) 1.61(±0.04) 1.55(±0.08) 0.86(±0.07) 0.80(±0.03)
61
6 MD-06/45 546128 1.80(±0.05) 1.48(±0.03) 1.91(±0.14) 0.83(±0.05) 1.25(±0.05) 1.16(±0.06) 0.75(±0.02) 0.39(±0.02)
7 MDS-1 564544 2.28(±0.10) 2.38(±0.09) 9.33(0.02) 0.9(±0.06) 1.37(±0.01) 1.62(±0.01) 0.76(±0.01) 0.97(±0.01)
8 MDS-2 564545 2.03(±0.02) 2.27(±00.5) 9.62(±0.00) 0.84(±0.05) 1.58(±0.00) 1.34(±0.01) 0.97(±0.00) 0.63 (±0.01)
9 MDS-3 564546 1.84(±0.03) 1.62(±0.01) 3.37(±0.04) 0.84(±0.04) 1.16(±0.01) 1.07(±0.01) 1.06(±0.09) 0.59(±0.00)
10 MDS-4 564547 2.31(±0.03) 2.61(±0.05) 6.78(±0.06) 0.88(±0.05) 1.36(±0.01) 1.55(±0.01) 0.77(±0.01) 1.06(±0.01)
11 MDS-5 564548 2.23(±0.08) 2.49(±0.11) 9.47(±0.10) 1.12(±0.05) 1.31(±0.01) 1.59(±0.01) 0.61(±0.01) 1.01(±0.02)
12 MDS-6 564549 2.51(±0.03) 2.64(±0.08) 11.86(±0.12) 0.90(±0.19) 1.36(±0.02) 1.62(±0.01) 0.78(±0.01) 1.12(±0.05)
13 MDS-7 564550 1.41(±0.07) 1.29(±0.01) 1.12(±0.05) 0.78(±0.05) 1.05(±0.01) 1.08(±0.00) 0.39(±0.00) 0.21(±0.01)
14 MDS-8 564551 1.87(±0.06) 2.02(±0.08) 5.54(±0.01) 0.98(±0.08) 1.01(±0.01) 1.43(±0.01) 0.62(±0.01) 0.54(±0.01)
15 MDS-9 564552 1.92(±0.03) 2.12(±.16) 1.14(±0.05) 1.08(±0.08) 1.06(±0.02) 1.34(±0.04) 0.65(±0.02) 0.64(±0.01)
16 MDS-10 564553 2.43(±0.05) 2.92(±0.04) 13.78(±0.15) 1.14(±0.05) 1.45(±0.01) 1.55(±0.02) 0.89(±0.01) 1.26(±0.01)
17 MDS-11 564554 2.09(±0.09) 2.32(±0.08) 9.19(±0.08) 0.94(±0.09) 1.71(±0.01) 1.12(±0.01) 0.82(±0.01) 0.97(±0.02)
18 MDS-12 564555 2.33(±0.11) 2.47(±0.09) 1.32(±0.01) 0.92(±0.05) 1.30(±0.02) 1.62(±0.01) 0.73(±0.01) 0.21(±0.01)
19 MDS-13 564556 2.12(±0.06) 2.39(±0.04) 7.66(±0.19) 0.82(±0.07) 1.34(±0.01) 1.53(±0.01) 0.72(±0.01) 0.85(±0.01)
62
20 MDS-15 564558 2.52(±0.04) 2.70(±0.14) 10.38(±0.14) 1.07(±0.03) 1.44(±0.06) 1.53(±0.06) 0.60(±0.04) 1.16(±0.04)
21 MDS-16 564559 2.41(±0.04) 2.44(±0.06) 9.15(±0.02) 0.86(±0.05) 1.75(±0.01) 1.12(±0.01) 0.85(±0.01) 0.95(±0.02)
22 MDS-17 564560 2.40(±0.04) 2.14(±0.03) 6.23(±0.03) 0.68(±0.03) 1.38(±0.03) 1.37(±0.05) 0.60(±0.02) 0.68(±0.01)
23 MDS-20 564563 2.68(±0.04) 2.80(±0.04) 3.06(±0.32) 0.88(±0.06) 1.31(±0.00) 1.91(±0.02) 0.72(±0.01) 0.25(±0.01)
24 MDS-22 564565 2.29(±0.08) 2.36(±0.04) 9.82(±0.23) 0.86(±0.06) 1.56(±0.01) 1.33(±0.00) 0.96(±0.01) 0.87(±0.02)
63
3.6 Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu)
Botanical name: Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb. Ex A. Dc. syn. D. tupru Buch.

Ham.
Common name: English- Coromandel ebony persimmon; Vernacular- Tendu, Timru,
Kendu
Family: Ebenaceae
Origin and distribution: D. melanoxylon is native and endemic tree of India and
widely found in the peninsular plains and lower hills especially in the dry deciduous
forests of central, western and northern India (Stewart and Brandis, 1992). This is the
most common species of forests of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
General description: Tendu is a middle sized tree, height upto 10-15 ft., branchlets,
young leaves, inflorescence clothed with soft grey or tawny tomentum. Leaves mostly
sub-opposite, coriaceous, 3 - 6 inches long but sometimes much longer upto 12 inches,
when full grown glabrous above, tomentose or pubescent beneath. Male flowers
tomentose, sessile 3-12 flowers arranged in drooping axillary cyme; female flowers
solitary, axillary or extra –axillary, generally 2, opposite to each other, larger than male
flowers. Fruit ovoid or globose yellow to light orange when ripe, 1-2 inch across,
supported by the flat spreading calyx–lobes with undulating reflaxed edges (Fig. 14C).
Pulp yellow, soft, sweet, slightly astringent but edible. Seeds 4-8, compressed, oblong,
the back curved, shining and blackish-brown often marked with bands across. Albumen
ruminated.
Propagation: Tendu is commonly propagated by seeds as this tree species is only
found as natural wild in the forests or marginal lands. Germinative capacity of fresh
seeds is 89% but falls rapidly with storage (Hocking, 1993).
Cultivars/selections: There are no identified cultivars known in this species. Genetic
resources of this species has not been given much emphasis and only naturally occurring
wild plants are used by local people and tribals inhabited in the forest area.
64
Important uses: Tendu tree have very important role in the socio-economy of tribal
populations of tropical dry forests of India along with other two trees Mahua and
Chironji. There are several economic uses of this species and all the plant parts starting
from bark, leaves, fruits and seeds are important for various commercial purposes.
The fruits called as ‘timru’ by local people are eaten raw and sold commercially in the
local markets. The bark is burnt by tribals to “cure” small-pox. Dried powdered fruit
is used as carminative and astringent; its tannin content is 15% and that of half ripe fruit
is 23%. Dried flowers are reported to be useful in urinary, skin and blood diseases
(Hocking, 1993). The seeds are prescribed as cure for mental disorders, palpitation
of heart and nervous breakdown. Above all, the leaves of this plant constitute one of
the most important raw materials of the “Bidi” industry. which make its leaves highly
valued and there is an organised purchase of these leaves by forest department in all
the states. Besides being the source of Indian ebony, its wood is also utilized for
making boxes, combs, ploughs and beams (Rathore, 1970).
Genetic Resources management

Collection: There is not much work done on the genetic resources management of
this species. Mostly being a forestry and agro-forestry species plants are taken care
by the forest departments of respective states. Horticulturally this species has not been
considered as important even though fruits of this species are promising, attractive in
color and have good quality with sweet pulp. 13 accessions of D. melanoxylon have
Himachal Pradesh
Punjab
Haryana
Rajasthan
Madhya Pradesh
Fig. 15. Collection sites of Tendu from various states of India
65
been collected by NBPGR from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh
in the form of fruits from the diverse populations. Details of germplasm has been given
in Table 17 and locations of germplasm collections has been presented in the Fig. 15.
Characterization: There is no much characterization data available for D.
melanoxylon, as fruits have not been considered of much horticultural importance.
Germplasm collected by NBPGR have been characterized for various fruit and seed
characters. The 3 genotypes collected from states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
have been characterized for fruit and seed characters. The fruits were morphologically
characterized for length, width and weight (Table 18). The fruit length varied from 3.2
to 3.7 cm and width from 3.16 to 3.68 cm. The fruit weight ranged from about 28 to
31 gm. TSS in the fruits also showed variation from as low as 19.6 to 22.6o B. The
bigger fruits were heavier and also showed higher TSS. The seeds were characterized
for length, width and weight. Seed length varied from 2.2 to 2.6 cm and width from
1.28 to 1.39 cm with weight of the seed varying from 1.5 to 2.1 gm. The heaviest fruit
with highest TSS was recorded in accession IC552946.
Conservation: Tendu trees are growing as natural wild in the forests and marginal
lands. Being highly economical species for the local inhabitants and tribals for the
collection of fruits and leaves from the wild trees, it is naturally being protected by
them and by forest departments in the protected forest areas. Basic studies on seed
germination storage behavior has been undertaken at Seed Biology Lab, School of life
Sciences, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur and at NBPGR, New Delhi. In
studies by Naithani (pers Comm., 2001) a very high moisture content of 38% and
93% viability have been recorded in freshly extracted seeds. On desiccation of seeds
to 4.2% moisture content a concomitant decline in viability to 77% was recorded.
In studies at NBPGR the freshly harvested seeds showed 28.5% moisture with 90%
germinability (Table 3, Fig. 14E,F). On storage at ambient conditions, the viability
declined to 50% by 10 months. A decline in germinability was observed with desiccation
down to 7% moisture level. This is similar to work reported by Hocking (1993) where
the fast decline in the germinative capacity of fresh seeds with storage has been mentioned
. In our studies at 12% moisture which is the critical moisture content level, seeds
survived LN exposure well with 80% germinability. Desiccation sensitivity and relatively
shorter longevity (15 months) has led to its categorization as intermediate seeded
species. A total of 16 diverse accessions have been cryostored in the cryogenebank at
NBPGR (Table 5).
66
Table 17. Passport data of Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu) germplasm collected from various states

Name Status
1 MD - 842 552949 Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon Tendu Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.43 75.09
2 MD-06/19 546102 Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon Timru Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.32 74.40
5 MD-274 423608 Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon Timru Wild Dungarpur Rajasthan 23.83 73.71
67
8 MD-292 423626 Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon Timru Wild Pali Rajasthan 25.59 73.42
9 MD-293 423627 Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon Timru Wild Beawar Rajasthan 25.94 73.86
10 MD-297 423631 Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon Timru Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.90 74.64
11 RS/NSP-24 553217 Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon Timru Wild Chhindwara Madhya Pradesh 22.27 78.36
12 NSP/ 438454 Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon Timru Wild Kangra Himachal Pradesh 32.10 76.27
OPD-04-5
13 NSP/ 438461 Tendu Diospyros melanoxylon Timru Wild Mandi Himachal Pradesh 31.65 76.94
OPD-04-12
Table 18. Characterization of Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu) species germplasm based on fruits and seeds
characters
S. No Col. No. IC No. Fruit Seed
Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (gm) TSS Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (gm)
68
1 MD-06/19 546102 3.37(±0.06) 3.23(±0.03) 28.49(±0.12) 21.80(±0.52) 2.60(±0.03) 1.30(±0.02) 1.60(±0.03)
2 MD-06/21 546104 3.24(±0.02) 3.16(±0.01) 27.57(±0.12) 19.60(±0.61) 2.22(±0.03) 1.28(±0.03) 1.51(±0.10)
3 MD-842 552946 3.70(±0.19) 3.68(±0.17) 30.55(±3.40) 22.60(±0.83) 2.48(±0.09) 1.39(±0.03) 2.13(±0.12)

69
3.7 Emblica officinalis (Aonla)
Botanical name: Emblica officinalis Gaertn syn. Phyllanthus emblica L.

Common name: English - Indian gooseberry, myrobalan, emblic; Vernacular -Aonla,
Amla
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Origin and distribution: Aonla is originated in eastern Asia, it is believed to be native
to tropical southeast Asia, specifically of the parts of central and southern India
(Firminger, 1947). It is also available in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ceylon, Malaya, southern
China and the Mascarene Islands. Aonla is an ancient fruit crop of Indian sub-continent
and widely used in Indian System of Medicine. This fruit species is still growing as
natural wild in forests areas of Vindhyan hills of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh,
Shivalik Hills and foot hills of Himalayas. It is commonly cultivated in home gardens
throughout India and grown commercially in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Punjab.
General description: Aonla is a small to medium sized tree, normally reaching a
height of 10-12 m, natural wild seedlings grow still higher (Fig. 16A). Aonla tree has
two types of shoots, the indeterminate and determinate. Indeterminate shoots are
longer and attain fresh growth in season and do not bear flowers while determinate
shoots come at the nodes of indeterminate shoots and number vary from 3-5 depending
upon the genotype. Determinate shoots bear very small reduced, closely arranged
leaves giving the impression of pinnately compound leaves. It is a deciduous tree
shedding its determinate shoots completely and before this lateral buds develop new
shoots to visibly give it a look of evergreen tree. Small, inconspicuous, greenish-
yellow flowers are borne in compact clusters in the axils of the lower leaves. Male
flowers occur at the lower end of a growing branchlet, with the female flowers above
them. The fruit is round or oblate, indented at the base with smooth and shining surface,
6 to 8 faded lines from base to apex give the impression of ridges and divided
segements in the fruit. Fruit is green at maturity and ripe fruit is greenish-yellow. Fruit
is juicy, flesh is thick, fibrous or non-fibrous depending on the cultivar generally wild
fruits are small, hard and bitter in taste. Hexagonal stone contains 6 small brown or
70
blackish seeds and present in the center of fleshy fruit. Fruit size, texture, fiber content,
taste and acidity vary with the cultivar.
Propagation: Wild plants of aonla are naturally propagated through seeds and seedling
propagated trees have longer life and are less susceptible to diseases (Fig. 16B).
While all the cultivated aonla is now vegetatively propagated and various budding
(Shikhamany, 2010) and grafting methods have been in practice. Patch budding is
recommended being convenient and for high success rate. May to August is the right
time for good success in budding.
Cultivars/selections: There are several selections and cultivars identified and released
in this highly popular economic and fascinating fruit crop of India. Most of the selections
have been made from the germplasm collected from Uttar Pradesh by ANDUAT,
Faizabad. There has been a lot of work undertaken on evaluation of these released
cultivars in diverse climatic conditions. Some of the important cultivars are Banarasi,
Chakaiya, Francis (Hathi Jhool), Kanchan, Krishna (NA-5), Neelam (NA–7),
Kanchan (NA –4), NA 6, NA 8 and Balwant. Cultivars Anand 1, 2 and 3 have been
released for Gujarat. Recently a selection, Goma Aishwariya an early and drought
tolerant with less fiber is released by CIAH, Bikaner. These cultivars have been
recommended for various regions and states according to their performance, as the
area for the aonla cultivation has been substantially increased during last two decades
in India. Recently high density planting system in aonla is also experimented and
recommended for Gujarat using NA-7 cultivar (Singh et al., 2010).
Important uses: Aonla is an important fruit of Indians and consumed fresh, processed
and preserved in several ways. Fruits are rich source of vitamin C due to the presence
of leucoanthocanins which retard the oxidation of vitamin C. These are rich source of
various important minerals namely iron, calcium and phosphorous. Fruits are collected
from wild or homestead gardens by tribals and marginal farmers and used at home as
vegetable or cooked, pickled or preserved with sugar/jagery for various preparations
or sold in the market. Presently commercial cultivation of aonla is practiced at large
scale and area is increasing day-by-day in Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab,
Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In
these states popular cultivars are grown in the orchards and fruits are sold in the local
market and also purchased directly by the food processing and pharmaceutical industry.
Medicinal uses of aonla fruits are well documented in the Indian System of Medicine
and Unani and it is prescribed in various ways to increase immunity and health. Popular
way of processing to retain nutritive value are Murabba, Chawanparash and Trifala.
However, now several new products have been developed by value addition namely
aonla candy, jam, herbal jam, chutney, pickle, squash, juice, sharbat, vinegar etc. Fruit
71
powder is also used in preparation of toiletries and cosmetics. Several other processing
methods are being developed and research is continuing at various institutes in India to
popularise and increase the consumption of aonla.
Genetic Resources Management

Collection: Aonla germplasm have been collected by various institutes including
NBPGR. Most of the present day cultivars have been released from the selection
made from these collections and identified chance seedlings of these genotypes.
Extensive elite germpalsm collections have been made from Varanasi, Pratpgarh, Agra,
Rai Bareilly, Azamgarh, Sultanpur, Kanpur and Allahabad districts of Uttar Pradesh.
159 accessions of Aonla have been collected from various states of India. 33 genotypes
of aonla have been identified by Rai et al. (1993) based on variability in the fruit
morphological characters including vitamin C, tannin and fibre content in the pulp from
Uttar Pradesh.
Characterization: Aonla germplasm have been characterized for various characters
of horticultural importance especially plant type with spreading habit, profuse bearing,
bold fruits, smooth and shining skin, high pulp, less fiber content, juiciness, tannin
content and longer shelf life. Various collections made by ANDUAT, Uttar Pradesh
have been characterized and evaluated at Faizabad and various cultivars/ selections
from the seedling plants have been identified and released (Bajpai and Shukla, 1985).
Rai et al.(1993) characterized 33 genotypes of aonla collected from Uttar Pradesh,
based on these characters and 4 promising accessions have been identified.
Performance of various important selections and cultivars namely Banarasi, Chakaiya,
Francis (Hathi Jhool), Kanchan, Krishna (NA-5), Neelam (NA–7), Kanchan (NA –
4), NA 6, NA 8 and Balwant have been evaluated at various aonla growing locations
and accordingly cultivars have been recommended for cultivation in that state.
Conservation: Conservation of aonla germplasm has been taken up in the field
genebanks at various institutes namely ANDUAT, Faizabad (22), CIAH, Bikaner
(50), CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (6), MPKV, Rahuri (8), S.D.
Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar (12) and Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi
Vidyapeeth, Dapoli. Collections made by these organizations are being maintained in
their respective field genebanks for conservation and utilization. Aonla improvement
work is extensively being undertaken at various centers of AICRP on Arid Fruits and
germplasm is being maintained for characterization and evaluation.
Basic studies on seed physiology and storage behaviour of aonla has been taken
up at NBPGR, New Delhi and cryopreservation of seeds of natural wild germplasm
72
has been successfully undertaken (Table 4). 31 accessions of aonla has been
cryopreserved in the cryogenebank at NBPGR. Seeds freshly shed showed 12%
moisture content and about 74 % germination. Seeds showed a decline in viability to
50% by 10 months storage. Orthodox seed storage behavior has been observed as
seeds had critical moisture content of about 6 % and there was no viability change
after cryostorage.
73
74
3.8 Garcinia species (Kokam, Malabar

tamarind and Mysore gamboge )
Botanical name: Garcinia species- Garcinia indica [Dupetit-Thouars] Choisy; G.
cambogia (Gaertn.) Desr. syn. Garcinia gummi-gutta (L.) N.Robson; G.
xanthochymus Hook.f.ex T. Anderson and G. cowa Roxb. Ex DC. syn. G. kydia
Roxb.
Common name: G. indica- Kokam, G. cambogia- Malabar tamarind, G.
xanthochymus- Mysore gamboge, G. cowa- Chenkek
Family: Clusiaceae
Origin and distribution: Genus Garcinia L. has approximately 400 species having
dioecious, evergreen trees growing in tropical parts of the world (Maheshwari, 1964;
Whitmore, 1973; Richards, 1990a). Approximately 30 species of Garcinia are
cultivated and produce edible fruits (Arora, 1998). In India 36 species of Garcinia
are reported out of which 16 species of Garcinia are endemic and distributed in the
Western Ghats, the northeastern India and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Eleven
species occur in the southern Western Ghats, out of which 6 species are endemic
while sixteen species occur in the northeastern India, out of which 2 are endemic and
fifteen species are found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands out of which 7 are endemic.
G. indica widely occurs in south-western India especially in South Maharashtra,
Karnataka and northern Kerala which seems to be its centre of origin. Even though
plantations are available, limited wild resources are also seen. G. cambogia is found
wild in evergreen forests of western Gharts in south Maharashtra extending southwards
to Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. G. xanthochymus is native to India and found
in western Ghats, Orissa and Andamans. G. cowa is native to northeastern India and
distributed in Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Orissa.
General description: G. indica is a slender evergreen small sized tree going upto the
height of 15m. It has drooping branches and tree takes pyramidal shape at maturity
(Fig. 17A). Leaves are ovate or oblong, lanceolate 6-8 cm long and 2-4 cm broad.
Tree is andro-dioceous producing male and bisexual flowers in separate plants.
Obligate agamospermy is reported in G. xanthochymus and facultative agamospermy
in G. indica and G. cambogia (Malik et al., 2005a). Fruits are globose or spherical
75
2.5-4 cm in diameter, at ripe stage color becomes dark purple, plants with green and
white fruits are also reported. Fruits are smooth with shining surface and have large,
kidney shaped 5-8 seeds embedded in the soft rind of fruit. Flowering in the month of
December-January and fruits are ripe in April-May. G. cambogia is a medium sized
evergreen tree attaining the height upto 20 m, like kokam it is also a dioceous tree with
rounded crown and horizontal and drooping branches. The berry fruit shape is oval to
concave, yellow or red in color at maturity, fruit surface is not smooth it has 6-8
grooves of varied length, width and depth. At distal end the fruit is depressed or have
small or long nipple like structure. 6-8 large size seeds are seen inside.
It is dioecious tree with a rounded crown that grows from 4.5 to 7.6 m in height
with dense foliage. The leaves are large (15.4-30.5 cm in length) and leathery and are
oblong to lanceolate shaped. The small flowers (1.3 cm in diameter) are born in a
dense cluster of 4-10 flowers and are greenish white in color. Fruits are bright yellow-
orange, almost round and 5-8 cm in diameter. The fleshy fruit usually contains 5 seeds
that are surrounded by a yellow pulp that is edible. Male trees are not seen but pseudo-
bisexual trees are known. Acidic, pleasant fruits are edible, though not very palatable
and are used for making sherbets, medicaments, preserves and jams. Dried fruit rind
is used as a condiment in West Coastal Karnataka. Gum resin from stem bark and
fruit makes a good watercolour (gamboge) used in dyeing. Very old trees are met with
in degraded areas but young trees are not to be seen. Genetic erosion has already set
in as only isolated trees are seen in degraded forest areas near villages in Karnataka.
In Kerala, mostly planted trees are seen in botanical gardens.
Propagation: Garcinia species are propagated by seeds as well as by vegetative
methods mostly using air layering by softwood grafting using scion from the selected
trees. Seeds are highly recalcitrant and are to be sown immediately after extraction
from fruits. Occasionally seeds provide two seedlings due to peculiar germination
characterstics being shown in these species (Malik et al., 2005a).
Cultivars/selections: No identified cultivars or selections are available in Garcinia
species. In G. indica, however, some selections and variety “Konkan Amruta”
(Selection from Shirgaon Local) was released by Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan
Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli. Commercial cultivation in Garcinia is lacking, it is taken
up only at small scale in Kokam and other species are still occurring in the wild or
semi-domesticated state and grown in homestead gardens, marginal lands and forest
area. There is an urgent need to identify the suitable genotypes for vegetative
propagation. Characterization and evaluation of germplasm to release varieties/
selections of Garcinia is underway at NBPGR RS, Thrissur; IISR, Calicut and Konkan
Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli.
76
Important uses: Most of the Indian Garcinia species are economically important
having edible fruits. Kokam is a potential under-exploited minor fruit crop, currently
gaining much commercial and medicinal importance. The fruit has an agreeable flavour
and a sweetish acid taste. Fresh fruits and dry rind is used in curries to give an acidic
flavour and also for preparing cooling syrups during summer months (Fig.17C). The
seeds yield a valuable edible fat known in commerce as ‘kokum butter’ (Fig.17D).
The fruit rind is rich in (-) Hydroxycitric acid (HCA), an important biologically active
plant metabolite used as an anti-obesity drug (Heymsfield et al., 1998). It inhibits the
conversion of carbohydrates into fats by inhibition of ATP citrate lyase, an important
enzyme in Kreb’s cycle (Watson et al., 1969). Several value added products are
being prepared from kokam and are popular in Indian and International market such
as kokam syrup (Fig. 17C) , kokam agal (brined kokam juice), kokam oil, stearic
acid from kokam fat, kokam rind acid, kokam color ointment etc. Malabar tamarind
fruits are collected by local people (Fig.18D) and processed further into a value added
products and are ready for use by drying the isolated rind on top of the fire places
where the smoke passes through the rind and it becomes dry (Fig.18F). When it is
almost dry, coconut oil mixed with salt is applied over the rind to make it pitch black
and shiny. When it is fully dried the produce is sold in the market or to business men
who come for purchasing the same. As women are engaged fully in the collection and
processing, Malabar tamarind gives livelihood support to unemployed women in south
Kerala.
Malabar tamarind is a multipurpose tree grown in the home gardens of Kerala for
the acidic fruit rind, which is used as a condiment and garnish. Resin of Malabar
tamarind is used as a pigment in miniature paintings and water colours, besides its
medicinal use as a purgative. Fruit rind is hydragogue, anthelmintic and emetic, particularly
in dropsies. It is also used for polishing gold and silver ornaments and as a substitute
for acetic acid for coagulation of rubber latex. The seed oil is used in medicine (Singh,
1993). Its rind is the only richest natural source of (-) Hydroxycitric acid and possesses
marked antiseptic properties (Sarah et al., 1992). The derivatives of the acid are
potent metabolic regulators of obesity and the unique acid also lowers blood lipids
such as cholesterol and triglycerides by triggering the fatty acid oxidation in the liver
via thermogenesis. It mobilizes body‘s fat stores and dissolves fat in the liver and also
throughout the body paving way for weight management (Majeed, 1994; Muthulakshmi
et al., 1999). It is increasingly becoming important industrially, commercially and
medicinally, which has not been fully exploited. Fruits of Mysore gambage and chenkek
also have important properties and used by local people as fresh fruits and offer
processing.
77

Collection: Rich diversity of several Garcinia species have been occurring in India.
Several exploration and collection trips were undertaken in the Western Ghats, Andaman
and Nicobar Islands and northeastern India to collect the germplasm of various Garcinia
species. Most of the collections have been made from the Kerala, Karnataka,
Maharashtra and Goa. These collections were made by NBPGR and/or in collaboration
with Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut and University of Agricultural Sciences,
Dharwad and College of Forestry, Sirsi. Exploration and collection of Garcinia species
from northeastern Indian states is still lacking where vast diversity of Garcinia species
is reported and most of the species are endemic to this region. These collections were
made in the form of fruits, seeds or bud wood and established at the field genebank at
NBPGR Regional Station, Thrissur. Besides these, efforts were made to undertake
studies on natural population structure and male and female plants available in the
natural populations. Three species of Garcinia namely G. cambogia, G. indica and
G. xanthochymus were collected from these areas while G. cowa was collected from
north-eastern India. The passport data is presented in Table 19 and collection sites
are shown in Fig. 19.
Characterization: Germplasm of G. indica and G. cambogia collected during
explorations have been characterized for physico-chemical characters of fruits and
field observations were recorded. In kokam the age of the trees varied from site to
site. The height and circumference of the trees ranged from 5 – 15 m and 30.0 – 100.0
cm, respectively. The fruits were either spherical or oval and its size ranged from small
to the size of a small coconut. The branches were horizontal or drooping. The trunk
was vertically multi-branched at the base or single. The fruits were with or without
seeds. The rind was either thin or thick. During the rainy season, mature fruits fall to
the ground or the nearby brooks.
Variability observed in tress and fruits of kokum was wide. Variability was more in
branching pattern of trees. The trees were without or with two or more vertically branches
from bottom, or with basal branches. The laterals were either horizontal or irregular in
nature. Some trees bear fruits twice a year. The colour of the fruits ranged from light red
to dark maroon. The aril is sour and sometimes sweet also. In Karnataka seldom kokum
trees were seen in household gardens but are seen either wild or in disturbed forests
associated with villages or farming communities or farmers namely bettathahola where
from the farmers derive mulch for their arecanut farms.
In Malabar tamarind extensive variability has been observed in canopy and
branching pattern of tree, fruit colour, shape and size. Fruit shape in Malabar tamarind
78
Fig. 19. Collection sites of Garcinia species from western ghats and
northeastern India
varied from oval to concave. The fruit is generally elongated but rounded fruits were
also common. Fruits bear ridges and furrows of varied length, width and depth. Two
promising accessions were identified IC354028 for fruit weight (161 g); IC354019
for mean rind thickness (15 mm) and mean rind weight of fruit (125 g). Two accessions
(IC354047 and 354063) were highly specific with the uncommon pinkish – red colour
of fruits and in another accession (IC354070) fruits have remarkably half-smooth
surface. Muthulakshmi et al. 1999 also studied standing trees of Malabar tamarind in
the homesteads gardens of Thrissur and found the existence of wide variability in
vegetative, floral, fruiting and biochemical characters. Compared to the morphological
characters of the fruit, variations observed in biochemical characters were limited.
They were unable to select trees with high fruit weight, rind thickness, total acidity,
(-) HCA, crude protein coupled with low moisture, total phenol, crude fat and crude
fibre.
79
Conservation: Overall 11 species of Garcinia namely G. cadelliana, G. calycina,

G. brevirostris, G. cambogia var. conicarpa, G. cambogia var. gummi-gutta, G.
cambogia var. papilla, G. imbertii, G. indica, G. keenainia, G. kingii, G. talbotii,
G. spicata and G. wightii are facing survival threat in India due to overexploitation for
wood, medicine, gum, resin, edible fruits and seed (Kundu, 2006). The increase in the
level of endemism from 50% to 65% is an important indication of the shrinking
population of these species posing challenge for conservation biologists. Due to severe
deforestation and genetic erosion, there is need for its genetic resources conservation.
Therefore, the management of genetic resources of Indian species of Garcinia is
urgently required. Presence of agamospermy (seed apomixis) in the genus Garcinia is
known or suspected in at least ten species which have been further classified as facultative
and obligate agamosperms (Richards, 1990a).
Seed germination and storage behaviour: G. indica, G. cambogia and G.
xanthochymus are semi-wild species which bear large seeds with high moisture
content at shedding. Due to apomictic nature of the so called “seeds” of G. indica, G.
cambogia and G. xanthochymus (Malik et al., 2005a,b), similar to that reported in
G. mangostana (Normah et al., 1992; Teo, 1992), there is an absence of a embryonic
axis or any structure akin to it. In view of the capability of the seed parts to regenerate
complete plantlets, small seed pieces, in addition to the whole seeds were used for
desiccation and freezing sensitivity studies.
Freshly harvested seeds of all the species stored at ambient temperatures retained
viability for short periods of about 30 days exhibiting that seeds were short-lived
further confirming their recalcitrant nature. Seed longevity in all three species could be
extended to almost two times by storage at 15OC. Chilling temperature of 5OC was
unfavorable and within 10-15 days of storage, loss in germinability recorded was
20% in G. indica, 30% in G. cambogia and 60% in G. xanthochymus. Storage of
seeds at freezing temperature of –20OC proved lethal as no survival could be observed
after 5 days of storage in all the three species. Longevity of G. xanthochymus seeds
was found to be minimum in comparison to G. indica and G. cambogia (Malik et al.,
2005b). After 15 days storage at ambient temperature and at 5OC there was substantial
and highest loss of viability in G. xanthochymus in comparison to other two species.
On Farm conservation: On farm conservation sites for the conservation of two
important species of Garcina namely G. indica and G. cambogia have been identified
by the NBPGR RS, Thrissur. For kokam, 59 in situ conservation sites were explored
in 5 districts of Karnataka, 2 each of Goa and Maharashtra and one of Kerala. Similarly
for Malabar tamarind 110 on-farm conservation sites in 13 districts of Kerala have
been identified (Abraham et al., 2010).
80
Field genebank conservation: The NBPGR Regional Station, Thrissur is maintaining

124 accessions of Malabar tamarind, collected from Dakshin Kannad (2 accessions),
Uttar Kannad (25), Kodagu (10), Chickmagalur (8), Shimoga (1) and Belgaum (8)
districts of Karnataka; Thrissur (17 accessions), Kottayam (3), Kannur (8), Alappuzha
(11), Ernakulam (9), Malappuram (3), Kozhikode (3), Kollam (6), Pathanamthitta
(5) and Thiruvananthapuram (1) districts of Kerala; and South Goa (4 accessions)
district of Goa in the field genebank at Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala a site within the
natural distributional range of the species. In the case of kokum, 76 accessions are
established in the field genebank, a site nearer to the natural distributional range of the
species. These accessions were collected from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa and
Kerala (Abraham et al., 2010).
In vitro conservation and cryopreservation: In vitro and cryopreservation techniques
are being used to conserve vegetatively propagated species and recalcitrant seed
species to achieve medium to long-term conservation. Most of the Garcinia species
have recalcitrant seeds which can not be conserved in the traditional genenbank at -
20°C. In vitro multiplication of three horticulturally important Garcinia species was
successfully achieved using agamospermous seeds (Malik et al., 2008). G. indica
and G. cambogia showed high frequency organogenesis while G. xanthochymus, an
obligate agamospermous species, was highly recalcitrant towards in vitro conditions.
Commercial exploitation of developed protocols would be useful for generating true-
to-type planting material of these species. In vitro conservation of these recalcitrant
seed species with extended sub-culture periods upto 11 months has been successfully
achieved (Malik et al., 2005 a). Most of the studies pertaining to in vitro culture of
genus Garcinia have been conducted in G. mangostana using seed and leaf explants
(Goh et al., 1990; Normah et al., 1992; Te Chato and Lim, 2000 and Huang et al.,
2000).
81
Table 19. Passport data of Garcinia species germplasm collected from various states

Name Status
1 MD-153 417221 Cowa Garcinia Cowa Wild East garo hills Meghalaya 25.54 90.11
cowa
2 MD/08/274 568666 Cowa Garcinia Chenkake Wild Kolasib Mizoram 24.30 92.68
cowa
3 AMG/2002-363 354042 Malabar Garcinia Muraganahuli Wild Chikmagalur Karnataka 13.39 75.87
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
82
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
12 AMG/2002-349 354028 Malabar Garcinia Panpuli Wild Kodagu Karnataka 12.36 75.72
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
83
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
24 AMG/2002-372 354051 Malabar Garcinia Uppage Wild Uttara Kannada Karnataka 14.81 74.30
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
84
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
85
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
tamarind cambogia
44 AMG/2002-387 354066 Kokam Garcinia Bele murugalu Wild Uttara Kannada Karnataka 15.09 74.31
indica
45 AMG/2002-383 354062 Mysore Garcinia Zarigehuli Wild Uttara Kannada Karnataka 15.02 74.67
gamboge xanthochymus
86
87
3.9 Grewia subinaequalis (Phalsa)
Botanical name: Grewia subinaequalis DC, syn. G. asiatica Mast.

Common name : Phalsa
Family: Tiliaceae
Origin and distribution: Phalsa tree is native to Western India (Zeven and de Wet,
1982), and spread throughout south Asia and in the Indian sub-continent. In India it is
distributed in the forests of central India and South India and also available in the
northern plains and western Himalayas upto the height of 3000 ft. Phalsa is cultivated
in the semi-arid regions of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana, Gujarat and Punjab (Fig. 20 A,B).
General description: Phalsa is a bush or small to medium sized tree with long, slender,
drooping branches, the young branchlets densely coated with hairs. Young shoots and
inflorescences are with a light, whitish bloom on the underside of leaves. Widely spaced
leaves are broadly heart-shaped or ovate, pointed at the apex, oblique at the base, up
to 8 in long and 6 in wide, and coarsely toothed. Flower buds cylindrical or clavate,
flowers yellow and produced in cymes of 3-4, flower 2 cm in diameter densely
tomentose, distinctly ribbed, fruit are indistinctly lobed drupes containing 1-2 one
celled nuts. The fruit skin turns from green to purplish-red and finally dark-purple
when fully ripened. There are two types of fruits, large fruits have 2 hemispherical,
hard, buff-colored seeds and small fruits are single-seeded. It is a predominately self
pollinated crop. Under cultivation, tree requires annual pruning upto ground level or 4
ft. height. Flowering in the month of January-February and fruits mature in the summer
generally in the months of May-June. Fruiting is non synchronous in phalsa (Fig. 20D)
and only few fruits mature at a time, therefore, require repeated harvesting. Fruits are
highly perishable with short shelf life of few hrs and fruits are need to be consumed or
processed within 48 hrs of plucking.
Propagation: Phalsa is commercially propagated by seeds and these are sown in the
seed beds during monsoon season immediately after extraction from the fruits. One
year old seedlings are transplanted in the field and grow fast to give first flush within 15
88
months. Cuttings and air layering is also successful in phalsa with 50 and 85% success,
respectively, however, rooting in cuttings is difficult.
Cultivars/selections: There are no recognized cultivars of phalsa. However, dwarf
and tall (vigorous) are two types of genotypes reported (Nehra et al., 1985). Dwarf
type has been reported to be more productive. Two types of phalsa cultivars Local
and Sharbati are also known.
Important uses: Phalsa is extensively cultivated for its sweet and sour fruits, which
are consumed fresh as table fruit and sold in the markets during summer months. Fruit
possess astringent properties and used for several stomach ailments. The fruits are
also processed to make phalsa sharbat when extracted pulp is mixed with sugar solution
and squash is prepared after adding some preservatives (generally sodium benzoate).
Phalsa sharbat and squash give pleasant and cooling effect in summers and work as an
astringent and stomachic agent. Fresh fruits fetch very good price of Rs. 80-100/- per
Kg in urban markets and consumed fresh with some salt (Fig. 20E).
Use and cultivation of phalsa fruit has been mentioned in the ancient Indian literature
and it has been used for various ailments in the Indian System of Medicine. Fresh or
dried fruits are suggested to cure heart and blood disorders, fever and diarrhoea. The
unripe fruits are said to remove vata, kapha and biliousness. The root bark is used by
Santhal tribal population for rheumatism. The stem bark is used for making ropes by
local people and mucilaginous extract is used for clarifying sugar.

Collection: Phalsa germplasm has been collected from various parts of country
including the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,
by NBPGR, New Delhi, CCSHAU, Hisar and Regional Research Station of
CCSHAU, at Bawal. 36 accessions belonging to 6 economically important species
namely G. hirsute, G. oppositifolia, G. tiliaefolia, G. rothii, G. orantalis and G.
subinaequalis (phalsa) have been collected. In Phalsa not much variability is reported
due to the self pollination and only two types tall and dwarf have been collected.
Germplasm of phalsa is to be identified for bold fruits, small seeds and synchronized
fruit maturity and longer shelf life of fruits which are important traits. Areas of collections
undertaken have been depicted in the Fig. 21 and in Table 20.
Conservation: Gemplasm of phalsa is being conserved in the field genebank at
CCSHAU. Regional Station, Bawal and NBPGR Regional Station, Jodhpur. Basic
studies on seed physiology and storage have been undertaken at NBPGR, New Delhi.
89
Rajasthan
Fig. 21: Collection sites of phalsa from Rajasthan
Seeds loose viability after 90-100 days of storage (Chandra et al, 1994). In studies
undertaken at NBPGR, seeds were found to show 50% viability after 4 months storage
at ambient conditions (Table 4). Seeds were desiccation sensitive as at critical moisture
content showed 23% loss in viability. Intermediate seed storage behavior has been
concluded as seeds survived LN exposure with 50% viability. A total of 15 accessions
of Grewia species have been cryostored in the cryogenebank (Table 5).
90
Table 20. Passport data of Grewia subinaequalis (Phalsa) germplasm collected from Rajasthan
S.No. Collector IC Crop Botanical Name Verna- Biolo- District State Lati- Longi-
Number Number Name cular gical tude tude
Name Status
1 MD-06/1 546084 Phalsa Grewia subinaequalis Phalsa Cultivated Ajmer Rajasthan 26.45 74.54
91
2 MD-06/2 546085 Phalsa Grewia subinaequalis Phalsa Wild Ajmer Rajasthan 26.50 74.53
3 MD-06/3 546086 Phalsa Grewia subinaequalis Phalsa Cultivated Ajmer Rajasthan 26.50 74.43
4 MD-08/8 561777 Phalsa Grewia subinaequalis Phalsa Wild Bikaner Rajasthan 28.06 73.21
92
3.10 Madhuca indica (Mahua)
Botanical name: Madhuca indica J. F. Gmel, syn. M. latifolia Macb.; Bassia

latifolia Roxb.)
Common name: English - Indian Butter Tree ; Vernacular : Mahua, Mahuda
Family: Sapotaceae
Origin and distribution: M. indica originated in Indo-China region and spread upto
Australia. In India it is found in semi-deciduous dry forests of western, central and
southern India mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Trees of mahua are
retained and preserved in the farmer’s field and marginal lands due to its commercial
importance. Therefore, large number of trees exist in the villages or panchayat lands of
these states besides large populations in the forests of these states. In south India M.
longifolia var. latifolia is found which is very common in western Ghats from Konkan
area to Kerala.
General description: M. indica is a medium to large deciduous, fast growing tree
upto 20m height (Fig. 22A). Tree possesses evergreen or semi-evergreen leaves which
cluster near ends of branches, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, pubescent and turn to glabrous
at maturity. Young leaves are pinkish red. Flowers white to cream colour with tubular,
fleshy and juicy corolla, clustered at the end of branches. Fruits berry ovoid, green at
maturity and turn pinkish yellow when ripe. Fruits are pulpy with large ovoid seed,
number of seeds vary from 1 to 4, seed color brown to black. Fruits occur in single or
bunches up to 30-40 (Fig. 22D). Leaf fall takes place between February to April and
at the same time flowering commences. Fruits mature generally in the months of May-
June. Tree blooms at night and in early morning hours flowers fall on the ground and
collected by local tribal population for commercial use. In south India M. longifolia
var. latifolia is present. There is very less difference in the tree morphology in two
species except the shape of leaves which is linear lanceolate. This species flowers in
November-December.
93
Propagation: Mahua is propagated by seeds, which can be put for germination

immediately after depulping from mature fruits. Seeds are highly recalcitrant and show
vivipary (start germinating within ripe fruit). Vegetative propagation methods have
also been developed using soft wood grafting, wedge grafting, veneer grafting and air
layering with varying success. Recently vegetative means of softwood grafting with
70-80% success (Singh and Ravishankar, 2010), grafting with 70% success (Singh et
al., 2010) and veneer grafting with 90% success (Singh et al., 1999) has been reported.
A 80% success in veneer grafting followed by cleft has been achieved at CISH,
Lucknow. As no organized commercial cultivation of mahua is undertaken at present,
there is not much demand for planting material and trees are naturally grown by seeds.
Cultivars/selections: There are no improved cultivars or varieties released in mahua,
however, there are some selections identified based on period of fruit maturity by
(Singh, 1999), three categories, early (NM- 2), mid (NM-7) and late season (NM- 4
and 9) have been categorized. Similarly, some selections have also been made by
Singh et al. (2008) based on physico-chemical characterization of germplasm collected
from Panchmahal district of Gujarat. Under the NOVOD Board funded National
Network Project, some selections have been made which possess about 45% oil
content.
Important uses: Every part of mahua tree is used for economical purposes by the
local people. In some tribal districts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar this tree with other two tree
species namely tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon) and chironji (Buchanania lanzan)
plays an important role in the economy of tribal people. Their livelihood is based on
the products of these species which are collected from the forests and sold in local
market. The bark of mahua is used to cure leprosy and to heal wounds. Flowers of
mahua are of high economic value and collected fresh in the morning (Fig. 22B).
These flowers are eaten fresh and dried for use in preparation of various dishes. Mostly
the dried flowers are used for distillation of “Mahua Liquor” which is very common in
the tribal areas (Fig.22C). Mahua flowers yield alcohol @ 340 litres/ tonne flower.
Fruit pulp may also be used for alcohol production. Flowers are used as feed for
livestock. The flowers are prepared to relieve coughs, biliousness and heart-trouble,
while the fruit is given in cases of consumption and blood diseases. Ripe fruits of
mahua are nutritious and are eaten raw or cooked and pulp after extraction of seeds is
fed to cattle also (Fig. 22F). Seeds are of high economic value as used for the oil
extraction. Kernel oil (solid at ambient temperature) is used for skin care and for
manufacture of soaps, detergents and used as a vegetable butter. The oil content of the
seed varies from 33 to 43% of the kernel weight. Linoleic acid is the major unsaturated
94
fatty acid found in pure oil which helps to reduce cholesterol level. There is lack of
organized marketing process for mahua produce, it being essentially a forest crop till
now. Only local middlemen purchase the dehulled kernels from villages and supply to
wholesale markets who supply them to expellers. Oil can also be used as a fuel oil.
The seed cake is a good fertilizer.

Collection: Germplasm of Mahua have been collected from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Jharkhand by
various organizations. 153 accessions have been collected from various states.
Recently, CHES (CIAH), Godhra collected 35 promising collections of Mahua from
Gujarat and Singh et al. (1999) collected 9 genotypes of Mahua from Uttar Pradesh.
At CISH, Lucknow, based on surveys made in different parts of Uttar Pradesh, 8
accessions have been identified and collected (CISH, website). Studies on reproductive
biology has also been undertaken on these accessions. NBPGR, New Delhi have
collected 29 accessions of promising mahua variability from Madhya Pradesh and
Rajasthan (Fig. 23 and Table 21). One promising collection with prolific bearing and
bunches of approximately 30- 40 fruits have been identified from Rajasthan.
Uttar
Rajasthan Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Fig. 23. Collection sites of Mahua from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh
95
Characterization: Mahua germplasm collected from various states have been

characterized for various physico-chemical characters and field performance. Singh
et al. (1999) based on fruit maturity grouped 9 genotypes in to three categories namely
early, mid and late season types. Variation in TSS, acidity, vitamin C and vitamin A in
fruits and flowers have been reported. Singh et al. (2005) studied genetic divergence
in 15 mahua genotypes and MH-32, MH-34, MH-35, MH-26, MH 27, MH 23 and
MH 33 collections were reported to be promising in all the traits analyzed. Singh et al.
(2005) also characterized and identified 20 accessions collected from Gujarat and
collections MH 10, MH 14, MH 35 and MH 63 have been found promising for all
the traits. 8 accessions of mahua have been characterized at CISH, Lucknow for
various physico-chemical characters.
Conservation: Trees of mahua are growing naturally wild in the forest and marginal
lands. These trees are valuable and also treated as sacred in some parts of the country,
therefore, protected by local people and forest department. Recently, some of the
promising accessions are being established in the field genebank at CHES (CIAH),
Godhra and at CISH, Lucknow. Mostly plus trees are also conserved at various
forest nurseries in mahua growing states.
Mahua seeds have been reported to have a very short life of 20 days after harvest
(Vanangamudi and Palanisamy, 1989) when viability is lost completely. The seeds are
shed at high moisture content (above 50%) and high viability 90-100% and are
desiccation sensitive (Varghese et al, 2002). Seeds desiccated to 37.7% lost
germinability by 11% and those desiccated to between 14 to 16% moisture lost
germinability by 90% of the original (Varghese et al, 2002). Maximum longevity of 30
days is reported when undried seeds are stored at 15OC temperature.
True recalcitrant seed storage behavior of mahua seeds have been confirmed by
our studies at NBPGR. Seeds were desiccation sensitive as seeds at CMC showed
decline in viability to 40% and after cryostorage to 80% (Table 4). However, embryonic
axes at CMC of 20.5% showed viability percentages of 35% and 12.5% before and
after cryostorage, respectively. Based on this cryoprotocol, 2 accessions of Madhuca
indica and 12 accessions of M. longifolia have been cryostored (Table 5).
96
Table 21. Passport data of Madhuca indica (Mahua) germplasm collected from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
S.No. Collector IC Crop Botanical Name Verna- Biolo- District State Lati- Longi-
Number Number Name cular gical tude tude
Name Status
1 MD-06/16 546099 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.33 74.77
2 MD-303 436991 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Raisen Madhya Pradesh 23.50 77.58
3 MD-304 436992 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Raisen Madhya Pradesh 23.50 77.58
4 MD-308 436996 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Hoshangabad Madhya Pradesh 23.00 78.22
5 MD-310 436998 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Hoshangabad Madhya Pradesh 23.00 78.22
6 MD-317 437005 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Sagar Madhya Pradesh 23.42 78.35
10 MD-322 437010 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Panna Madhya Pradesh 24.34 79.81
97
11 MD-06/30 546113 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.94 74.50
12 NSP/ 395483 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.33 74.77
OPD-03/11
13 NSP/ 395484 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Raisen Madhya Pradesh 23.50 77.58
OPD-03/12
14 NSP/ 395485 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Raisen Madhya Pradesh 23.50 77.58
OPD-03/13
15 NSP/ 395487 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Hoshangabad Madhya Pradesh 23.00 78.22
OPD-03/15
16 NSP/ 395488 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Hoshangabad Madhya Pradesh 23.00 78.22
OPD-03/16
17 NSP/ 395489 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Sagar Madhya Pradesh 23.42 78.35
OPD-03/17
OPD-03/18
OPD-03/10
OPD-03/14
21 NSP/ 395475 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Panna Madhya Pradesh 24.34 79.81
OPD-03/3
22 NSP/ 395478 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.94 74.50
OPD-03/6
23 NSP/ 395479 Mahua Madhuca indica Mahua Wild Chattarpur Madhya Pradesh 25.12 79.32
OPD-03/7
OPD-03/19
OPD-03/20
98
OPD-03/4
OPD-03/5
OPD-03/8
OPD-03/9
99
3.11 Manilkara hexandra (Khirni)
Botanical name: Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.) Dubard, syn. Mimusops indica A.

DC.
Common name: Khirni, Ryan, Raina
Family: Sapotaceae
Origin and distribution: M. hexandra is an indigenous tree to India (Stewart and
Brandis, 1992). It is found wild in the forests of South India, North-central India,
parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan. In India this species is generally cultivated near villages,
backyards and homestead gardens mostly in the parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat,
Rajasthan and Vidharbha region of Maharashtra and also found as natural wild
populations.
General description: The tree is medium to large size attaining 50-60 ft. height with
en erect trunk, evergreen with spreading growth habit forming a large shady head (Fig.
24A). Leaves coriaceous, shining, glabrous, blade 2-4 inches long, obovate-oblong
obtuse, petiole upto 1 inch long. Flowers whitish, in axillary fascicles of 3-6 flowers,
peduncles shorter than petioles. It bears yellow shining, oval, sweet edible berry fruits
with one or more seeds (Fig. 24B). Tree is well adapted to arid and semi-arid conditions
and can tolerate drought conditions. Flowering in the month of October-November
and fruit setting during April-May. It is highly heterozygous tree and as such seedlings
exhibit a wide range of variations, which aids in the selection of the superior desirable
genotypes. Vast genetic variability in tree shape, size and canopy is existing in India.
This tree is commonly used as commercial rootstock for sapota.
Propagation: The tree is generally propagated by seeds. Recently vegetative
propagation methods have also been attempted using softwood grafting and veneer
grafting with 75% success (Singh and Ravishankar, 2010). Bed grafting is also being
attempted for vegetative propagation of trees by some private nurseries in Gujarat to
supply quality planting material to farmers (Fig. 24E). Work on developing suitable
vegetative propagation methods for multiplication of some elite selections is in progress
at CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow.
100
Cultivars/selections: There is no identified cultivars or selections available in khirni

till now. Recently at CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow some promising
seedlings have been identified and established in the field of genbank for evaluation.
Due to cross pollination and predomination of seed propagation over a long period of
time in khirni, it gives immense opportunity to select elite trees having promising
horticultural traits. In spite of the fact that khirni can withstand adverse climatic conditions
and be grown in various types of soil, no attempts to improve its varietal wealth have
been made under semi arid regions.
Important uses: Fruits and bark of this tree species have economical value as mature
fresh fruits are very sweet and eaten raw as well as after drying and bark is used for
several medicinal purposes. The seeds contain approximately 25% oil which is used
for cooking purposes. The fruit is good source of iron, sugars, minerals, protein and
carbohydrate etc. It is commercially used as a rootstock for vegetative propagation of
sapota in different parts of the country. In the tribal area of Rajasthan, Gujarat and
Madhya Pradesh this tree plays very important role in the socio-economy and livelihood
security of small and landless farmers. Tribals in these villages are collecting fruits
from these natural wild trees and selling in the nearby market (Fig. 24C) at the cost of
Rs. 30-40/- per kg and each tree provides fruits worth of Rs. 500-2,000/- to a tribal
family, which is a substantial support to them. Fresh fruits are consumed by whole
family which provides good nutritional support especially the requirement of vitamin A
is fullfilled in the children. These fruits being very rich in vitamin A (675 IU) work as a
“Vitamin A “capsules for tribal people.

Collection: Specific exploration and collection missions were undertaken in the west
and central Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh for the survey
and collection of M. hexandra during April-May in collaboration with CHES (CIAH),
Godhra. 64 diverse accessions were collected from 12 districts of these three states
(Table 22 & Fig. 26). These collections were made from wild and semi-wild trees
growing in the forest areas, marginal forest lands, homestead gardens and farmers
fields. Khirni trees have been found to be concentrated in the specific areas forming a
population of different sizes. Survey and collection of this species revealed basically
6-7 major populations existing in the explored area where 20 or more trees were
growing as a natural wild population at a single location. Largest population of more
than 700 trees with vast genetic variability was located near Pritam Pura, in Ratlam
district of Madhya Pradesh where trees of this species were spread in few kilometres
and all possible variability was recorded in trees size, shape, fruiting behaviour, fruiting
time, fruit shape, size, taste etc. Besides this location, Panchmahal, Dahod and
101
Sambarkanta district of Gujarat, Neemach district (Rampura area) and Dhar district
(Mandu area) of Madhya Pradesh, and Sirohi district of Rajasthan posses small to
medium sized populations comprising 20 to 100 trees of this species. Germplasm of
khirni has also been collected by CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow from
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Chanderi area, Guna and Ashoknagar
districts of Madhya Pradesh are also rich in khirni diversity. In the farmer’s fields
occasionally few trees were found to exist. No commercial or organised cultivation of
this fruit species was observed in the area surveyed. All the trees observed were very
old (50-150 years), young trees were very rare.
Rajasthan
Gujarat
Madhya Pradesh
Fig. 26. Collection sites of khirni from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
Characterization: A large germplasm totalling 47 accessions were scored for 8

characters encompassing fruit length, width, weight, TSS, seed length, width, weight
and pulp weight (Table 23). A large variability was recorded in almost all the fruit
characters (Fig. 25). Fruit length x width ranged from lowest values of 0.85 cm x 0.28
cm to highest values of 2.5 cm x 2.82 cm. Fruit weight of smallest fruit was 0.64 gm
and highest was 7 times higher which was 4.13 gm. TSS value ranged from 15.60 to
31.80 OB which is twice that of lowest value. Seed length x width ranged from 0.75
cm x 0.41 cm to 1.48cm x 1.54 cm. Seed weight showed variation as smallest seeds
102
weighed 0.11 gm and heaviest weighed 0.45 gm. The pulp weight had large variation
as it ranged from 0.52 to 3.79 gm, a variation which is about 7 times. The accessions
with heaviest fruits were IC584560, IC584558 and IC584569. The heaviest fruits
with high TSS were found in accession IC584560. In terms of pulp weight IC584561
and IC584558 had high values and showed large fruits. Detailed characterization
data is given table 23. Germplasm of khirni has also been characterized for various
physico-chemical characters a CHES (CIAH), Godhra and CISH, Lucknow. Field
evaluation of some of the promising accessions is also continued at CHES (CIAH),
Godhra.
Conservation: There is an urgent need to maintain ex situ germplasm collection of
khirni as no much work has been undertaken on conservation of this important
underutilized fruit species. Some of the elite accessions collected from Panchmahal
district of Gujarat has been established at CHES (CIAH), Godhra besides this some
collections are being maintained at CISH, Lucknow.
As far as conservation in the genebank is concerned diversity collected at NBPGR
has been conserved in the cryogenebank at NBPGR through seeds. Seeds showed
intermediate seed storage behaviour as longevity is short (upto 4 months). Freshly
shed seeds had 37% moisture and 86% germinability (Table 3). Seeds showed 15-
20% decline in viability after desiccation and LN exposure. Seeds desiccated to 10%
moisture showed 52% survival after cryopreservation. A total of 46 accessions of
diverse germplasm have been successfully cryostored in the cryogenebank (Table 5).
103
Table 22. Passport data of Manilkara hexandra (Khirni) germplasm collected from various states
S.No. Collector IC Crop Verna- Biolo- District State Lati- Longi-

Number Number Name Botanical Name cular gical tude tude
Name Status
1 MD-10/19 584568 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Panchmahal Gujarat 22.43 73.42
2 MD-10/20 584569 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Panchmahal Gujarat 22.52 73.41
3 MD-10/5 584554 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Sabarkantha Gujarat 23.58 73.16
6 MD-139 395853 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Royana Wild Vadodara Gujarat 22.11 73.31
104
7 MD-140 395854 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Royana Wild Vadodara Gujarat 22.24 73.55
8 MDS-10/10 584559 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Panchmahal Gujarat 22.34 73.30
12 MDS-10/14 584563 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Dahod Gujarat 22.37 73.52
13 MDS-10/15 584564 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Dahod Gujarat 22.37 73.52
16 MD-10/21 584570 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Jhabua Madhya Pradesh 22.53 74.33
19 MD-10/24 584573 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Ratlam Madhya Pradesh 23.06 75.13
105
26 MD - 804 552911 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Vadodara Gujarat 21.83 73.20
27 MD - 807 552914 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Bharuch Gujarat 21.75 73.12
32 MD - 846 552953 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Dahod Gujarat 22.82 73.98
33 MD - 850 552957 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Panchmahal Gujarat 22.68 73.52
34 MD - 854 552961 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Vadodara Gujarat 22.55 73.22
35 MD-24 395738 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Royana Wild Panchmahal Gujarat 22.62 73.69
36 MD-83 395797 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Royana Wild Khandwa Gujarat 21.96 73.43
37 MD - 819 552926 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Dhar Madhya Pradesh 22.38 75.40
41 MD - 824 552931 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Khirni Wild Dhar Madhya Pradesh 22.32 75.40
106
42 MD - 828 552935 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayana Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.47 75.28
43 MD - 831 552938 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.47 75.43
53 MD-06/10 546093 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.41 74.93
57 MD-06/36 546119 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Rayan Wild Sirohi Rajasthan 25.17 73.08
107
65 MKD-105 524061 Khirni Manilkara hexandra Khirni Wild Alwar Rajasthan 27.86 76.32
Table 23. Characterization of Manilkara hexandra (Khirni) germplasm based on fruits and seeds characters

No. Length (cm) Width(cm) Weight (g) TSS Length (cm) Width(cm) Weight (g) Pulp wt (gm)
1 MD-804 552911 2.00 (±0.06) 1.09 (±0.02) 1.40 (±0.10) 25.20 (±0.33) 1.26 (±0.02) 1.28 (±0.09) 0.18 (±0.01) 1.22 (±0.09)
2 MD-807 552914 2.26 (±0.13) 2.24 (±0.08) 1.12 (±0.07) 30.00 (±0.00) 1.48 (±0.06) 1.28 (±0.04) 0.23 (±0.01) 1.29 (±0.25)
3 MD-809 552916 1.62 (±0.08) 2.78 (±0.12) 1.11 (±0.12) 26.00 (±0.63) 1.34 (±0.05) 1.54 (±0.05) 0.20 (±0.01) 0.92 (±0.11)
4 MD-810 552917 2.00 (±0.07) 1.18 (±0.01) 1.84 (±0.07) 29.00 (±0.40) 1.31 (±0.01) 0.66 (±0.02) 0.15 (±0.01) 1.69 (±0.06)
108
5 MD-811 552918 1.89 (±0.03) 1.17 (±0.01) 1.64 (±0.10) 26.20 (±0.95) 1.22 (±0.05) 1.26 (±0.1) 0.14 (±0.00) 1.50 (±0.10)
6 MD-19 552926 0.85 (±0.15) 0.63 (±0.01) 0.97 (±0.09) 23.00 (±2.28) 0.75 (±0.12) 0.55 (±0.02) 0.17 (±0.01) 0.80 (±0.09)
7 MD-20 552927 1.56 (±0.06) 2.48 (±0.17) 1.20 (±0.08) 27.00 (±0.63) 1.06 (±0.02) 1.28 (±0.04) 0.17 (±0.01) 1.03 (±0.08)
8 MD-21 552928 2.138 (±0.11) 1.14 (±0.09) 1.89 (±0.31) 28.00 (±1.10) 1.30 (±0.01) 0.64 (±0.00) 0.24 (±0.01) 1.62 (±0.30)
9 MD-22 552929 2.04 (±0.04) 2.9 (±0.09) 1.86 (±0.07) 30.00 (±0.33) 1.38 (±0.03) 1.24 (±0.05) 0.23 (±0.01) 1.29 (±0.08)
10 MD-24 552931 2.04 (±0.04) 2.9 (±0.09) 1.74 (±0.08) 28.00 (±1.10) 1.42 (±0.05) 1.40 (±0.00) 0.15 (±0.02) 1.04 (±0.22)
11 MD-28 552935 2.4 (±0.14) 2.58 (±0.17) 1.19 (±0.23) 21.80 (±2.22) 1.2 (±0.06) 1.16 (±0.07) 0.15 (±0.01) 1.67 (±0.13)
12 MD-31 552938 2.14 (±0.03) 1.31 (±0.02) 1.82 (±0.14) 30.00 (±0.00) 1.38 (±0.03) 1.24 (±0.05) 0.20 (±0.00) 0.83 (±0.08)
13 MD-32 552939 1.66 (±0.05) 1.31 (±0.24) 1.03 (±0.08) 30.00 (±0.00) 1.23 (±0.05) 1.02 (±0.08) 0.14 (±0.01) 0.81 (±0.07)
14 MD-33 552940 1.38 (±0.05) 2.68 (±0.24) 0.95 (±0.06) 19.00 (±1.67) 0.98 (±0.07) 1.04 (±0.04) 0.17 (±0.01) 0.69 (±0.06)
15 MD-34 552941 1.86 (±0.05) 1.76 (±0.13) 0.86 (±0.06) 20.40 (±1.08) 1.13 (±0.06) 1.00 (±0.04) 0.11 (±0.02) 0.91 (±0.13)
16 MD-35 552942 1.84 (±0.07) 2.82 (±0.18) 1.02 (±0.14) 30.00 (±0.00) 1.12 (±0.12) 0.90 (±0.1) 0.17 (±0.002) 0.448 (±0.07)
17 MD-36 552943 1.42 (±0.02) 1.64 (±0.13) 0.61 (±0.07) 29.20 (±0.33) 1.08 (±0.03) 1.12 (±0.04) 0.22 (±0.01) 1.56 (±0.25)
18 MD-37 552944 1.6 (±0.08) 2.8 (±0.22) 1.78 (±0.26) 29.40 (±0.54) 1.04 (±0.02) 1.2 0(±0.08) 0.18 (±0.01) 1.14 (±0.05)
19 MD-38 552945 1.61 (±0.04) 1.27 (±0.01) 1.32 (±0.06) 20.40 (±1.08) 1.03 (±0.13) 0.62 (±0.02) 0.18 (±0.01) 1.23 (±0.19)
109
20 MD -39 552946 1.46 (±0.06) 2.64 (±0.22) 1.41 (±0.20) 29.40 (±0.36) 1.24 (±0.09) 1.14 (±0.09) 0.15 (±0.01) 0.62 (±0.12)
21 MD -40 552947 1.74 (±0.05) 1.52 (±0.15) 0.77 (±0.13) 28.00 (±1.10) 1.3 (±0.06) 1.08 (±0.07) 0.15 (±0.01) 0.59 (±0.08)
22 MD-46 552953 1.7 (±0.05) 1.76 (±0.13) 0.74 (±0.09) 29.20 (±0.33) 1.32 (±0.03) 1.16 (±0.07) 0.22 (±0.01) 1.74 (±0.09)
23 MD-50 552957 2.26 (±0.04) 2.56 (±0.07) 1.96 (±0.09) 25.20 (±0.33) 1.36 (±0.06) 1.36 (±0.04) 0.18 (±0.01) 1.22 (±0.09)
24 MD-54 552961 2.00 (±0.06) 1.09 (±0.02) 1.40 (±0.10) 30.00 (±0.00) 1.26 (±0.02) 1.28 (±0.09) 0.19 (±0.01) 1.67 (±0.06)
25 MD-10/5 584554 2.20 (±0.06) 1.22 (±0.02) 2.14 (±0.09) 25.00 (±0.06) 1.11 (±0.02) 0.41 (±0.02) 0.16 (±0.02) 1.99 (±0.99)
26 MD-10/6 584555 1.38 (±0.02) 1.08 (±0.04) 1.16 (±0.02) 31.40 (±0.36) 1.01 (±0.01) 0.58 (±0.02) 0.14 (±0.01) 1.02 (±0.03)
27 MD-10/7 584556 1.46 (±0.02) 1.08 (±0.02) 1.25 (±0.06) 28.00 (±0.57) 1.11 (±0.01) 0.64 (±0.01) 0.14 (±0.01) 1.11 (±0.05)
28 MDS-10/8 584557 1.94 (±0.06) 1.36 (±0.05) 2.67 (±0.07) 36.80 (±1.11) 1.29 (±0.02) 0.70 (±0.02) 0.33 (±0.05) 2.34 (±0.04)
29 MDS-10/9 584558 2.08 (±0.05) 1.48 (±0.04) 2.99 (±0.12) 28.40 (±0.61) 1.27 (±0.03) 0.76 (±0.01) 0.45 (±0.12) 2.76 (±0.12)
30 MDS-10/10 584559 2.34 (±0.09) 1.36 (±0.04) 2.77 (±0.16) 31.60 (±1.76) 1.45 (±0.02) 0.70 (±0.02) 0.25 (±0.01) 2.52 (±0.16)
31 MDS-10/11 584560 1.94 (±0.05) 1.08 (±0.04) 1.75 (±0.10) 31.80 (±0.52) 1.28 (±0.02) 0.61 (±0.01) 0.1 9 ±0.00) 1.56 (±0.10
32 MDS-10/12 584561 2.50 (±0.05) 1.54 (±0.02) 4.13 (±0.20) 25.60 (±0.46) 1.28 (±0.02) 0.86 (±0.01) 0.34 (±0.02) 3.79 (±0.18)
110
33 MDS-10/13 584562 2.38 (±0.05) 0.88 (±0.02) 1.36 (±0.02) 24.80 (±0.33) 1.35 (±0.03) 0.57 (±0.01) 0.18 (±0.01) 1.18 (±0.03)
34 MDS-10/14 584563 2.04 (±0.11) 1.18 (±0.05) 1.97 (±0.19) 19.40 (±1.19) 1.36 (±0.04) 0.59 (±0.02) 0.16 (±0.01) 1.81 (±0.19)
35 MDS-10/15 584564 1.35 (±0.05) 0.91(±0.04) 0.82 (±0.09) 25.60 (±1.19) 0.97 (±0.05) 0.51 (±0.02) 0.08 (±0.01) 0.73 (±0.08)
36 MD-10/19 584568 1.76 (±0.05) 1.09 (±0.03) 1.38 (±0.09) 18.00 (±3.03) 1.31 (±0.04) 0.64 (±0.03) 0.18 (±0.02) 1.20 (±0.08)
37 MD-10/20 584569 1.79 (±0.09) 1.13 (±0.04) 1.71 (±0.18) 27.80 (±0.77) 1.29 (±0.02) 0.66 (±0.02) 0.18 (±0.02) 1.53 (±0.16)
38 MD-10/21 584570 1.62 (±0.05) 0.76 (±0.07) 0.64 (±0.08) 15.60 (±1.61) 1.13 (±0.05) 0.52 (±0.01) 0.11 (±0.00) 0.52 (±0.08)
39 MD-10/22 584571 1.45 (±0.04) 1.18 (±0.04) 1.48 (±0.17) 24.80 (±2.29) 0.99 (±0.02) 0.60 (±0.01) 0.11 (±0.01) 1.36 (±0.16)
40 MD-10/23 584572 1.42 (±0.01) 0.87 (±0.10) 1.12 (±0.11) 18.00 (±2.38) 1.12 (±0.02) 0.59 (±0.02) 0.15 (±0.01) 0.95 (±0.10)
41 MD-10/24 584573 1.83 (±0.04) 1.12 (±0.03) 1.45 (±0.10) 22.80 (±1.78) 1.26 (±0.03) 0.63 (±0.02) 0.19 (±0.01) 1.26 (±0.10)
42 MD-10/25 584574 1.11 (±0.08) 0.58 (±0.04) 1.96 (±0.15) 24.20 (±3.72 1.19 (±0.01) 0.69 (±0.01) 0.18 (±0.01) 1.78 (±0.16)
43 MD-10/26 584575 1.46 (±0.03) 1.27 (±0.04) 1.61 (±0.09) 35.00 (±0.00) 0.87 (±0.14) 0.56 (±0.04) 0.12 (±0.01) 1.49 (±0.10)
44 MD-10/27 584576 1.78 (±0.04) 1.28 (±0.04) 1.94 (±0.17) 22.40 (±2.86) 1.17 (±0.02) 0.63 (±0.01) 0.18 (±0.01) 1.76 (±0.17)
45 MD-10/28 584577 1.49 (±0.08) 1.00 (±0.03) 1.15 (±0.09) 27.00 (±2.15) 1.16 (±0.05) 0.62 (±0.01) 0.16 (±0.01) 0.95 (±0.11)
46 MD-10/29 584578 1.96 (±0.06) 1.28 (±0.04) 0.95 (±0.11) 17.80 (±4.95) 1.32 (±0.03) 0.62 (±0.02) 0.20 (±0.01) 0.75 (±0.11)
47 MD-10/30 584579 1.44 (±0.03) 1.00 (±0.04) 0.99 (±0.07) 25.80 (±1.91) 1.04 (±0.03) 0.61 (±0.03) 0.16 (±0.01) 0.83 (±0.06)
111
112
113
3.12 Pithecellobium dulce (Manila

tamarind)
Botanical name: Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth, syn. Mimosa dulcis Roxb.
and Inga dulcis (Roxb.) Willd.
Common name: English- Manila tamarind, sweet inga; Vernacular - Jungle jalebi,
mithi imali, mithi amli
Family: Fabaceae
Origin and distribution: Origin of this tree species is believed to be in the Central
America, but it has been naturalized throughout Southeast Asia, especially in India,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. It is found growing in many unattended
waste areas of semi-arid parts of India. In India, it is common in dry places of Rajasthan,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab.
General description: Manila tamarind is a small to medium sized tree, growing up to
10 m height. The branches are pendulous and posses short, sharp, stipular spines at
the bases of leaves. Leaves are abruptly bipinnate and 4-8 cm long. Each single pair of
oblique, ovate, oblong leaflets is 1-4 cm long. The fruit is a pod and is turgid, twisted,
and often spiral, 4-10 cm long, about 1-2 cm wide, and weights about 10-20 g (Fig.
27A). It is dehiscent along the lower suture and the valve is pinkish-red or reddish-
brown when ripe. The seeds are black, flat and shiny and 6-8 seeds are found per
pod. The seed is surrounded by thick whitish and pulpy aril which is edible and sweet
in taste. The pulp is generally pinkish white, sweet, dry and some time fluffy. The pods
are usually picked by climbing the tree or using a long bamboo pole. When mature the
pods split open at the lower suture exposing the edible pulp, therefore, cannot be kept
for long and has to be consumed within a few days. Fresh pods are consumed by local
people or brought to the local market for selling (Fig. 27B).
Propagation: Propagation of Manila tamarind is through seeds, no vegetative
propagation is reported. Tree grows natural wild in the marginal and waste lands. Tree
is very hardy and can grow well at low and medium altitudes in both wet and dry areas
under full sunlight.
114
Cultivars/selections: There are no identified cultivars or selections available in this

species as no organised cultivation is attempted by farmers. Tree is found growing
wild in the fallow lands, marginal areas of farmer’s fields and also in the village forest
area. There is a need to identify suitable genotypes with big and sweet pods with
prolific bearing to be propagated vegetatively by grafting or budding. These clones
may be cultivated in home gardens and there are possibilities for commercial
development of this species.
Important uses: The ripe pods of Manila tamarind are edible and pulp is consumed
raw by tribals and local people (Fig. 27B). Fresh pods contain about 50% pulp which
is rich in protein, carbohydrate and fiber besides being good source of minerals and
vitamins. Pods are collected by local people and tribals and sold in the local village
market. The seed contains about 70% kernel which is rich in protein and oil (upto
20%). The seed oil contains 51.1 percent oleic acid, 24.0 percent linolic acid and
24.3 percent saturated acids. The oil is edible and is used for the manufacture of soap
and other purposes for which peanut oil may be used. Due to its high protein content,
the seed meal may be used for animal feed (Gamo and Cruz, 1957).
Rajasthan
Gujarat Madhya Pradesh
Fig. 28. Collection sites of Manila tamarind from Rajasthan, Gujarat

and Madhya Pradesh
115

Collection: Germplasm of Manila tamarind have not been widely collected in India as
the crop has not been given much attention for horticulture. NBPGR, New Delhi
made 13 collections from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and sizable
variability in fruit size, shape, colour and amount of pulp etc. was recorded in the
collected germplasm. There is still need to collect the variability from north, central
and western part of India for identification of promising genotypes with prolific fruiting,
large pods, higher amount of pulp and sweetness. Detailed passport data is given in
table 24 and collection sites in Fig. 28.
Characterization: The highly twisted attractive fruits showed an average length of 16
cm (Table 25). The width of fruits varied from 1.46 to 4.10 cm. Weight of fruits
ranged from 7.32 to 9.27 g. Seeds showed variation in terms of length x width ranging
from 0.85 cm x 1.2 cm to 1.16 cm x 1.68 cm. Weight of seeds varied from 0.22 to
1.22 g.
Conservation: Manila tamarind an exotic species and presently not much inportant
as horticultural crop is a waste land tree species. There is need to identify superior
trees for prolific bearing and fruit quality and outstanding clones should be propagated
vegetatively by grafting and budding. Based on our studies at NBPGR, New Delhi
orthodox seed storage behavior has been exhibited as seeds showed high tolerance to
desiccation and freezing and 14 months storage period till 50% viability (Table 4).
Freshly extracted seeds showed 38% moisture and 97% germinability. 14 accessions
collected from diverse habitats have been successfully cryostored (Table 5).
116
Table 24. Passport data of Pithecellobium dulce (Manila tamarind) germplasm collected from various states
S . Collector IC Crop Botanical Verna- Biolo- District State Lati- Longi-

Name Status
1 MD - 801 552908 Manila tamarind Pithecellobium dulce Goras amali Wild Vadodara Gujarat 21.13 73.18
2 MD - 847 552954 Manila tamarind Pithecellobium dulce Goras amali Wild Dahod Gujarat 22.62 74.10
3 MD - 851 552958 Manila tamarind Pithecellobium dulce Goras amali Wild Panchmahal Gujarat 22.65 73.52
4 MD-110 395824 Manila tamarind Pithecellobium dulce Goras amali Wild Vadodara Gujarat 22.60 73.39
5 MD-23 395737 Manila tamarind Pithecellobium dulce Ghia tori Wild Vadodara Gujarat 22.38 73.41
117
6 MD - 845 552952 Manila tamarind Pithecellobium dulce Vilayati ambli Wild Mandsaur Madhya Pradesh 24.03 75.03
7 MD-266 423600 Manila tamarind Pithecellobium dulce Jangal jalebi Wild Udaipur Rajasthan 24.45 73.79
8 MD-272 423606 Manila tamarind Pithecellobium dulce Jangal jalebi Wild Dungarpur Rajasthan 23.83 73.71
Table 25. Characterization of Pithecellobium dulce (Manila tamarind) germplasm based on fruits and seeds
characters
S.No Coll. No IC No. Fruit Seed
118
Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (gm) Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (gm)
1 MD-847 552951 16.06(±2.47) 4.10(±0.22) 7.32(±1.09) 0.85(±0.02) 1.20(±0.06) 1.22 (±0.9)
2 MD-851 552954 15.94(±0.90) 1.46(±0.05) 9.27(±0.47) 1.16(±0.05) 1.68(±0.03) 0.22 (±0.01)

119
3.13 Salvadora Species (Pilu and

Miswak)
Botanical name: Salvadora Linn. - S. oleoides Decne. and S. persica L.
Common name: S. oleoides Meetha jal, Pilu and S. persica, Khara jal, Miswak
Family: Salvadoraceae
Origin and distribution: Salvadora oleoides is distributed in tropical Africa and
Asia, extending to Egypt, Mascarene Islands and China. These indigenous trees grow
on dry, saline and desert areas of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat
and Madhya Pradesh. S. persica has wide adaptability from sand dunes of deserts
(Fig .29A) to heavy soils, non-saline to highly saline soils and dry regions to marshy
and waterlogged areas. It is extremely well adapted to arid conditions and is salt
tolerant as well as drought resistant. It is widely distributed in Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Haryana, and Punjab and to some extent in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu. It is also found in the Sunderban mangroves of West Bengal and in the regions
of Chilka laggons. These species inhabit the saline and rocky soils (Bhandari, 1990)
and are known to tolerate a very dry environment with mean rainfall of less than
200mm. These species with Capparis decidua form the major arboreal part of the
flora of Indian desert and is naturally acclimatized to a harsh climate.
General description: S.oleoides is a small evergreen tree with short, twisted trunk
and drooping branches (Fig. 29B). It suffers considerably from frost. A dense, almost
impenetrable growth is often formed by a parent stem surrounded by a ring of root-
suckers, while seedlings also spring up under its shade. Leaves are fleshy and pungent
in smell, shape of the lamina is linear lenceolate, size ranges from 3-10 x 0.3-1.2 cm;
flowers are sessile, greenish-white in colour, clustered; and inflorescence is of paniculate
spike; fruit drupe, clustered, 0.40-0.45 cm in diameter, red, brown and yellow colour
when ripe, pulp taste-sweet with pungency. Seeds hard black brown or light brown in
colour, rich in oil.
S. persica is a perennial, much branched, evergreen, small or large tree (Fig. 30A)
and found in the dry and arid regions of India and on saline lands. Leaves elliptic-ovate
or ovate-lanceolate (Fig. 30C-inset), size ranges from 3-6 x 2-4 cm, not fleshy, not
pungent; flowers are pedicillate, greenish yellow in colour, scattered; inflorescence is
120
of lax panicles; fruit drupe, scattered, 0.30-0.33 cm in diameter, black to dark red
when ripe, taste-sweet, aromatic. Seeds hard, different colour white, brown or black,
rich in oil.
The two species differ morphologically in terms of leaves, flower and fruit that
have been well defined by Duthie (1960) and Bhandari (1990). The trees generally
flower in March-April and fruit in May-June (Fig. 29C,D; 30A,B,C). The trees
regenerate by seeds and root suckers. However, Mertia and Kunhamu (2003) indicated
natural regeneration of plants from seeds to be rare probably due to coincidence of
seed maturity with onset of monsoon which results in considerable damage to the
seeds through fungal attack.
Propagation: Natural regeneration is by seeds, coppice, natural layering and mostly
by root suckers. The seeds can not be reportedly stored as they do not retain viability
and hence it is recommended that fruits are immediately depulped and used for obtaining
seedlings (Hockings, 1993). No vegetative propagation method is reported as no
cultivation of this species is in practice.
Cultivars/selections: Despite the great importance of Salvadora spp., attempts for
its improvement and sustainable utilization are by and large lacking and has resulted in
gradual decline of the trees from natural populations. There is need for identification of
suitable genotypes and work in genetic improvement of these species for use in
plantation, forestry and agroforestry system.
Important uses: Both the species are multipurpose (Anonymous, 1992) with all
plant parts being used. They are medicinally important and possess pharmaceutical
applications. Toothbrushes made from roots and small branches of S. persica have
been used for over 1000 years for relieving toothache and gum diseases (Ramoliya
and Pandey, 2002). Seeds of the two species produce non-edible oil (30-50%) which
is extensively used in industrial production of soaps, cosmetics, paints, varnishes and
lubricants (Singh et al, 1996) and also has medicinal properties like cure for piles,
rheumatism, skin diseases, etc (Kumar and Rao, 2002). It is a good sand binder due
to the typical root system and suitable for growing in shelter belts and as wind breaks
in desert tracts. The drupe fruits are sweet in taste and are a delicacy with the local
populations. The fruit pulp contains glucose, fructose and sucrose in addition to high
calcium content. The oil contains lauric acid which forms the basic raw material for
industrial production of lauryl alcohol (Chatterjee and Pakrashi, 1995).
Indigenous traditional knowledge: In western Rajasthan fruits of S. oleoides
(commonly called Mitha Jal) are plucked by local people especially children and women
from natural wild populations existing near their villages. Fruits are collected in the
121
especially made hanging pots which during collection of fruits are worn in the neck
(Fig. 30D). Fruits are eaten fresh generally 5-6 fruits at a time. Fruits are dried for use
in coming months. Fresh fruits preferably yellow ones are mixed with sugar balls and
kept for few weeks. Later the mixture of pulp and sugar is filtered and concentrated
liquid is used as medicine for asthma. Large scale production of pilu fruits in naturally
growing trees with TSS as high as 20-25O B and attractive bright red and yellow fruits
has lot of potential for commercial exploitation which is till now completely neglected.

Collection: Around 25-30 natural populations of S. oleoides were surveyed during
last 7 years in 12 districts of three states namely Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana for
the study of growth pattern, physical parameters and for the collection of variability.
Climatic conditions of all the districts surveyed is typically arid characterized by extremes
of temperature (less than +3OC in winters to above +49OC in summer), high wind
velocity, severe drought and scanty rainfall (200-300 mm annually). Predominantly
trees occur as natural populations consisting of 50-500 trees in each population aged
50-150 years. These populations are scattered throughout the north-west India (Fig.
29A, 31).
Survey of these populations revealed rare presence of juvenile plants/ saplings in
the vicinity of mature trees. Several populations of pilu in the northwestern Haryana,
area adjoining to National Capital Region has already suffered complete destruction
due to large scale urbanization. 59 accessions of these two species have been collected
from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana (Table 26 and Fig. 31). Information gathered
from local people also revealed that these trees undergo profuse flowering but negligible
fruit setting has been seen during the last 10-12 years. The major reasons attributed to
these have been the changing environmental conditions.
Characterization: There are not much reports of characterization and evaluation of
Salvadora germplasm. Studies on seed variability in S. persica from Rajasthan were
conducted (Prakash et al., 2001). Extensive survey in Rajasthan and Haryana revealed
variability in ripe fruit colors of different trees. Shades of yellow, bright yellow, light
maroon and maroon were observed. A total of 17 accessions of diverse Salvadora
germplasm were morphologically characterized for fruit and seed characters (Table
27). The length and width of each fruit were same as the fruits were almost round in
shape. The smallest fruits had length x width of 0.18 cm x 0.14 cm and largest fruits
had length x width of 0.29 cm x 0.31 cm. Heaviest fruits weighed 5.07 gm and lightest
fruits weighed 0.85 gm which reflects a large variation. TSS in fruits varied from 16.25
to 26.55 ºB. The seeds diameter ranged from 0.4 to 0.14 cm and weight from 0.31 to
122
Haryana
Rajasthan
Gujarat
Fig. 31. Collection sites of Salvadora species from Haryana,

Rajasthan and Gujarat
0.57 gm. The most promising accessions having large fruits with high TSS are IC561781,
561776 and 561783. There is still need to collect and characterize the germplasm of
these species for the identification of superior trees for good quality fruits and high oil
content in seeds. Presently there has been no attention paid by horticulturist to explore
the possibilities of exploitation of pilu as potential fruit for horticulture. Howerver, the
fruits have good potential for processing as squash, jam, jelly etc. as fruit is highly
perishable with very short shelf life.
Conservation: Despite the great importance of S. oleoides, attempts for its
improvement and sustainable utilization are by and large lacking and has resulted in
gradual decline of the trees from natural population. Natural regeneration of plants
from seeds is rare probably due to coincidence of seed maturity with onset of monsoon
which results in considerable damage to the seeds through fungal attack (Mertia and
Kunhamu, 2003). Gupta and Saxena (1968) and Hockings (1993) also reported only
28 and 30% seed germination respectively in S. oleoides. Hockings (1993) further
123
reported that the seeds loose viability very soon and cannot be stored. Disappearance
of genetic diversity of this species acclimatized to such extreme climatic conditions will
lead to an irreversible loss to plant genetic resources of this area affecting environment
and socio-economic losses.
Most of the studies pertaining to Salvadora have been conducted on chemical
composition of seed oil and juice and on nutritional and medicinal attributes.
In vitro multiplication of Salvadora using various explants like axillary buds and
shoot tips has been attempted and an average of 5-10 shoots per explants were
developed which were transferred to soil after rooting and hardening (Mathur et al.,
2002, Batra et al., 2001). Some problems have been highlighted during clonal
propagation including low micropropagation ability, lower rooting rates (Singh and
Goyal, 2007).
In studies undertaken at NBPGR, seeds of S. persica and S. oleoides were found
to deteriorate rapidly after harvest and within 15 days germinability was reduced to
50% with storage at temperatures of 10-15ºC, there was a rapid decline in viability
and by 24th day of storage, viability was lost completely in all the samples. Freshly
harvested seeds showed 90% germinability and 26% moisture content. On desiccation
to 9% moisture content a 16% and with freezing a 30% decline in viability was noted
leading to its categorization as having recalcitrant seed storage behavior. Whole seeds
desiccated to 8% could be cryostored with 40% recovery. In view of this embryonic
axes were desiccated to 6% moisture and successfully cryopreserved with 60-80 %
recovery. Excised embryotic axes from the stored seeds showed better viability
percentage in composition to whole seeds indicating the presence of some inhibitory
substances in the cotyledons, leading to lower viability of seeds. A total of 23 accessions
of S. oleoides and 12 accessions of S. persica have been cryostored at NBPGR
(Table 5).
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Table 26. Passport data of Salvadora species germplasm collected from various states

Name Status
1 MD-125 395839 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peel Wild Bharuch Gujarat 21.70 72.97
2 MKD-10 345782 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Lal peel Wild Rewari Haryana 28.22 76.46
3 MKD-100 524056 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Jal Wild Rewari Haryana 28.17 76.50
4 MKD-11 345783 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Lal peel Wild Rewari Haryana 28.22 76.46
5 MKD-12 345784 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peeli Peel Wild Rewari Haryana 28.22 76.46
6 MKD-13 345785 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Khachhar Peel Wild Rewari Haryana 28.22 76.46
125
7 MKD-14 345786 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Khachhar Peel Wild Rewari Haryana 28.22 76.46
8 MKD-17 345789 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Bhuri peel Wild Rewari Haryana 28.08 76.31
9 MKD-20 345792 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Jal Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 28.42 76.01
10 MKD-23 345795 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Bhuri peel Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 28.44 76.13
11 MKD-24 345796 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peel Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 28.44 76.13
14 MKD-29 345801 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peeli peel Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 28.28 76.28
15 MKD-32 345804 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peel Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 28.25 75.88
16 MKD-42 345814 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Lal peel Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 28.15 76.07
17 MKD-43 345815 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peeli peel Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 28.15 76.07
18 MKD-44 345816 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Lal peel Wild Mahendergarh Haryana 28.15 76.07
19 MKD-74 345846 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peel Wild Bhiwani Haryana 28.65 75.94
22 MD-08/10 561779 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Meetha jal Wild Bikaner Rajasthan 28.02 73.14
126
28 MD-08/16 561785 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Meetha jal Wild Jaisalmer Rajasthan 26.58 71.53
29 MDG-08/17 561786 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Meetha jal Wild Jaisalmer Rajasthan 26.57 70.52
37 MDG-08/28 561797 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Meetha jal Wild Jodhpur Rajasthan 25.59 73.01
38 MDG-08/29 561798 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Meetha jal Wild Jodhpur Rajasthan 25.59 73.01
39 MD-08/4 561773 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Meetha jal Wild Churu Rajasthan 28.03 74.46
127
43 MD-258 423592 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peelu Wild Pali Rajasthan 25.76 73.42
47 MD-263 423597 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peelu Wild Sirohi Rajasthan 24.81 72.96
48 MKD-35 345807 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Lal peel Wild Jhunjhunu Rajasthan 28.19 75.45
49 MKD-36 345808 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peeli peel Wild Jhunjhunu Rajasthan 28.19 75.45
50 MKD-40 345812 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peeli peel Wild Jhunjhunu Rajasthan 28.22 75.47
51 MKD-41 345813 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Lal peel Wild Jhunjhunu Rajasthan 28.22 75.47
52 MKD-5 345777 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peeli peel Wild Alwar Rajasthan 28.00 76.29
53 MKD-7 345779 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Lal peel Wild Alwar Rajasthan 28.00 76.29
54 MKD-8 345780 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Peeli peel Wild Alwar Rajasthan 28.00 76.29
55 MKD-93 524049 Pilu Salvadora oleoides Jal Wild Alwar Rajasthan 27.90 76.45
58 MD - 852 552959 Pilu Salvadora persica Pilodi Wild Vadodara Gujarat 22.67 73.37
59 MD - 853 552960 Pilu Salvadora persica Pilodi Wild Vadodara Gujarat 22.67 73.37
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Table 27. Characterization of Salvadora species germplasm based on fruits and seeds characters
S. No Coll. No. IC No. Fruit Seed
Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (gm) TSS Diameter (cm) Weight (gm)
1 MD-08/5 561774 0.18(±0.01) 0.20(±0.01) 1.08(±0.02) 21.55(±0.49) 0.27(±0.01) 0.38(±0.01)
2 MD-08/6 561775 0.24(±0.00) 0.23(±0.01) 0.85(±0.01) 24.75(±0.92) 0.28(±0.01) 0.31(±0.00)
3 MD-08/7 561776 0.24(±0.00) 0.23(±0.00) 3.42(±0.01) 26(±0.45) 0.23(±0.00) 0.32(±0.01)
4 MD-08/10 561779 0.25(±0.01) 0.21(±0.01) 2.07(±0.04) 24.75(±0.92) 0.29(±0.01) 0.45(±0.01)
5 MD-08/11 561780 0.24(±0.01) 0.25(±0.01) 2.87(±0.01) 21.70(±0.46) 0.34(±0.01) 0.40(±0.01)
6 MD-08/12 561781 0.22(±0.00) 0.14(±0.02) 2.32(±0.09) 26.55(±0.66) 0.30(±0.00) 0.32(±0.01)
7 MD-08/13 561782 0.21(±0.01) 0.21(±0.02) 1.88(±0.01) 21.50(±0.70) 0.14(±0.01) 0.31(±0.00)
8 MD-08/14 561783 0.23(±0.01) 0.26(±0.01) 3.33(±0.00) 25(±0.19) 0.34(±0.01) 0.45(±0.00)
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9 MD-08/15 561784 0.23(±0.01) 0.23(±0.01) 1.20(±0.02) 21.55(±0.49) 0.40(±0.01) 0.36(±0.02)
10 MD-08/16 561785 0.24(±0.01) 0.26(±0.00) 2.90(±0.05) 23.25(±0.66) 0.29(±0.01) 0.40(±0.01)
11 MD-08/19 561788 0.29(±0.00) 0.31(±0.01) 5.07(±0.06) 17.60(±0.23) 0.88(±0.36) 0.57(±0.01)
12 MD-08/21 561790 0.25(±0.01) 0.22(±0.01) 2.05(±0.02) 22.53(±0.47) 0.32(±0.01) 0.45(±0.01)
13 MD-08/22 561791 0.25(±0.00) 0.25(±0.00) 3(±0.16) 16.55(±0.16) 0.31(±0.00) 0.42(±0.02)
14 MD-08/23 561792 0.24(±0.01) 0.21(±0.01) 2.18(±0.03) 16.55(±0.46) 0.29(±0.01) 0.40(±0.01)

15 MD-08/24 561793 0.26(±0.01) 0.27(±0.02) 2.65(±0.08) 16.25(±0.37) 0.32(±0.01) 0.42(±0.01)
16 MD-08/25 561794 0.26(±0.01) 0.27(±0.00) 4.53(±0.01) 19.10(±0.10) 0.29(±0.01) 0.51(±0.01)
17 MD-08/29 561798 0.25(±0.00) 0.26(±0.00) 3.25(±0.02) 23.20(±0.43) 0.23(±0.01) 0.41(±0.01)
130
131
3.14 Syzygium cumini (Jamun)
Botanical name: Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels, syn. Syzygium jambolanum DC.;
Eugenia cumini Druce
Common name: English -Java plum, Black plum, Vernacular -Jamun
Family: Myrtaceae
Origin and distribution: The jamun is native to India, Burma, Ceylon and to the
Andaman Islands (Zeven and de Wet, 1982) and available throughout Indian plains
up to the height of 1300m. It is found grown as a wild and semi-wild in the states of
Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Jamun is widely
cultivated in homestead gardens, backyard and as an avenue tree in the all parts of
India. Besides, S. cumini other important species in India is S. jumbos (Rose apple or
safed jamun) found in south India, West Bengal and Assam. Other species of minor
importance are S. fruiticosum, S. javanica (water apple), S. densiflora, S. uniflora
(Surinam cherry) and S. zeylanica.
General description: The jamun is a medium to large sized evergreen tree with
smooth grey bark and attain the height of 20 m (Fig. 32A). Leaves 2 to 4 in long,
oblong-oval or elliptic, evergreen, opposite, bluntly acuminate. Young leaves pinkish
and turn leathery and dark green at maturity. The sessile whitish-yellow flowers emerge
in clusters, have a funnel-shaped calyx and 4 to 5 united petals. Drupe fruit emerge in
clusters of different sizes. Fruit oblong or ovoid-oblong, at maturity attain dark purple
color, very juicy with 1 or 2 to 5 compressed bold white or green seeds, seedless
fruits are also found. Fruit skin is thin, smooth, shining and pulp is whitish purple. The
fruit is astringent and taste varies from light acidic to sweet. Flowering is in February-
March and fruiting in May to July. Vast genetic variability is present in tree phenology,
leaves, and fruit characters in India.
Propagation: Jamun is commonly propagated through seeds (Singh et al., 2007).
Seeds are highly recalcitrant in nature and freshly extracted seeds can be sown for
raising seedlings. Seeds germinate within two weeks and can be transplanted during
monsoon season in the field. In jamun upto 50 percent polyembryony is reported and
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true-to-type nucellar seedlings are produced (Singh et al., 2007). Vegetative

propagation using various budding methods have been successful, however, patch
budding has been reported to be the most successful in the months of March in semi-
arid areas (Singh and Singh, 2006). Soft wood grafting has also been successful for
multiplication in Karnataka and Gujarat in the months of June and August, respectively
(Singh and Singh, 2006).
Cultivars/selections: In jamun there are no standard cultivars available, however,
several area-specific local selections have been identified by farmers or local people
since historical time. All these local selection or types are based on fruit size, shape,
taste, fruiting period and maturity of fruits. One popular type natural selection famous
in north India is known as ‘Ra Jamun’ (Singh et al., 2007), which is grown widely.
This selection have big sized (2-3.5 cm length and diameter 1.5 -2.0 cm), oblong
deep purple, highly juicy and sweet fruits. One late maturing selection with small fruits
1.5 to 2.0 cm length and 1.0 to 1.5 cm diameter with rounded fruits is also common.
Some local farmers selections growing in Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh are
Badama (large size and very juicy fruits), Kaatha (with small and acidic fruits), Jathi
(maturing in June or Jeth), Ashada (maturing in June or Ashad) and still late type
Bhado (maturing in August). Similarly several local type selections are found in Konkan
area, Pune and Ahmednagar districts of Maharashtra (Keskar et al., 1989) and in
Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Important uses: Jamun is a very nutritious fruit and consumed fresh or processed for
various preparations. Fruit is a good source of iron, minerals, protein and carbohydrate.
Fruits are processed for squash, sharbat, syrup, jam, jelly, wine, vineagar and juice.
Jamun seeds contain various alkaloids such as jambosin and glycoside which inhibits
the conversion of starch in to sugars, therefore, the powdered seeds are useful for
sugar patients. Fruits are important in the Indian System of Medicine and recommended
for diabetes, heart and liver problems (Singh, 2001).

Collection: Jamun germplasm has been widely collected from throughout India and
vast variability has been recorded in tree phenology and fruit characters and flowering
and fruiting period. Germplasm have been collected from various parts of Maharashtra,
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Extensive collections have been
made from eastern Uttar Pradesh where eight genotypes were examined and
characterized (Singh et al., 1999). Survey has been undertaken in Pune and
Ahmednagar districts of Maharashtra (Keskar et al., 1989), from West Bengal (Kundu
et al., 2001), from Karnataka (Prabhuraj et al., 2002), from North Goa (Devi et al.,
133
2002). Survey has been made by CISH, Lucknow in the states of Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat and 54 accessions have been collected. Singh and
Singh (2005) collected 33 accessions from Gujarat. NBPGR, New Delhi have also
made extensive collections in the parts of Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh in
collaboration with CHES (CIAH) Godhra and CISH, Lucknow and 20 elite accessions
have been collected (Fig. 33 and Table 28).
Haryana
Uttar Pradesh
Fig. 33. Collection sites of Jamun from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh
Characterization: Jamun germplasm collected from various sources as described

under collection has been characterized for various horticultural traits such as flowering,
fruiting and physico-chemical characters of fruits like fruit weight, pulp content, TSS,
acidity etc. On the basis of characterization of collected germplasm several elite
genotypes have been identified from Maharashtra, No. 15, 4, 14 and 13 (Keskar et
al., 1989), eight genotypes grouped into two categories: ovoid and oblong from eastern
Uttar Pradesh (Singh et al., 1999), from West Bengal germplasm Selection 1 (oval
shaped large fruits) and Selection 2 (cylindrical shaped medium sized fruit) proved
better for yield and quality fruits (Kundu et al., 2001); from Uttar Pradesh and
Jharkhand the genotypes RNC-26 and RNC-11 were found promising for higher
pulp and fruits weight (Devi et al., 2002), from Gujarat 5 genotypes GJ-18, GJ-19,
GJ-23, GJ-24 and GJ-25 have been identified for overall performance (Singh and
Singh, 2005).
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A total of 20 diverse jamun accessions collected by NBPGR from Haryana and

Uttar Pradesh were characterized for fruit and seed characters (Table 29). Fruit length
x width varied from 2.12 cm x 5.44 cm to 3.35 cm x 7.52 cm. The lightest fruit
weighed 3.04 gm and heaviest weighed 8.84 gm which is depicting a large variation.
TSS in fruits was also variable ranging from 5.96 to 14.2 ºB. Seed length x width
ranged from 1.62 cm x 3.02 cm to 2.62 cm x 4.30 cm. The pulp weight showed large
variation from 1.24 to 6.96 gm. The accessions which showed largest fruits with highest
pulp weight were IC537858, 537848, 537846 and 537853. Fruits with high TSS
value were found in accessions IC537842, 537854 and 537845. Smallest seeds were
seen in accessions IC537860, 537849 and 537850. There is still need to undertake
extensive characterization and field evaluation of local selections for release of area
specific cultivars in Jamun.
Conservation: Germplasm of Jamun is being maintained at very few places in the
field genebanks, important field genebanks are CISH, Lucknow, CHES (CIAH)
Godhra and MPKV, Rahuri. There is need to establish promising seedling selections
and local farmers selections in the field genebanks to conserve the elite germplasm as
true-to-type and use them for crop improvement. Being a highly recalcitrant species
laboratory conservation in the cryobank is difficult in jamun. Studies undertaken at
NBPGR revealed that seeds loose viability very rapidly as by 30 days storage at room
temperature, 50% viability is lost (Table 4). Seeds are truly recalcitrant being highly
desiccation and freezing sensitive. Freshly harvested seeds shed at high moisture content
of 50% showed rapid decline in viability at 35% moisture. At critical moisture level
and lower, none of the seeds survived LN exposure.
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Table 28. Passport data of Syzygium cumini (Jamun) germplasm collected from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh

Name Statu
1 MD-575 537842 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Jhajjar Haryana 28.48 76.64
2 MD-576 537843 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Sonipat Haryana 28.92 77.03
3 MD-577 537844 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Sonipat Haryana 28.77 76.92
4 MD-578 537845 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Karnal Haryana 29.76 77.01
5 MD-579 537846 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jamun badama Wild Karnal Haryana 29.86 77.03
8 MD-582 537849 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jamun badama Wild Karnal Haryana 29.94 77.14
9 MD-583 537850 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Sharanpur Uttar Pradesh 29.93 77.52
136
10 MD-584 537851 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Sharanpur Uttar Pradesh 29.73 77.41
11 MD-585 537852 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Muzaffarnagar Uttar Pradesh 29.55 77.68
12 MD-586 537853 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Baraut Uttar Pradesh 29.22 77.18
13 MD-587 537854 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jamun badama Wild Baraut Uttar Pradesh 29.22 77.18
14 MD-588 537855 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jamun badama Baraut Uttar Pradesh 29.22 77.18
15 MD-589 537856 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jamun badama Gautam Budh Uttar Pradesh 28.48 77.68
Nagar
16 MD-590 537857 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jamun badama Mathura Uttar Pradesh 27.69 77.64
19 MD-593 537860 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Faridabad Haryana 28.11 77.18
20 MD-594 537861 Jamun Syzygium cumini Jaman Wild Faridabad Haryana 28.22 77.2
Table 29. Characterization of Syzygium cumini (Jamun) germplasm based on fruits and seeds characters
No. Length (cm) Width(cm) Weight (g) TSS Length (cm) Width(cm) Weight (g) Pulp seed
ratio
1 MD-575 537842 2.30(±0.14) 5.46(±0.17) 3.04(±0.17) 14.2(±0.46) 2.18(±0.10) 3.98(±0.28) 1.8(±0.14) 1.24(±0.28)
2 MD-576 537843 2.7(±0.12) 5.82(±0.09) 4.51(±0.50) 16.52(±0.33) 2.12(±0.12) 3.7(±0.16) 1.74(±0.14) 2.77(±0.39)
3 MD-577 537844 2.8(±0.14) 5.72(±0.13) 5.01(±0.36) 10.12(±0.63) 2.1(±0.08) 3.56(±0.19) 1.76(±0.08) 3.19(±0.32)
4 MD-578 537845 2.6(±0.14) 5.44(±0.23) 4.88(±0.27) 12.60(±0.45) 2.18(±0.08) 3.86(±0.12) 1.81(±0.15) 3.08(±0.25)
5 MD-579 537846 2.84(±0.18) 6.44(±0.73) 7.04(±1.30) 5.96(±0.28) 1.62(±0.08) 3.02(±0.10) 1.43(±0.05) 5.65(±1.27)
6 MD-580 537847 2.66(±0.07) 6.04(±0.25) 5.34(±0.23) 7.32(±0.77) 2.24(±0.13) 3.50(±0.04) 2.13(±0.20) 3.21(±0.13)
7 MD-581 537848 2.98(±0.09) 6.62(±0.34) 7.13(±0.60) 9(±0.57) 2.44(±0.08) 4.08(±0.27) 2.43(±0.28) 4.68(±0.43)
8 MD-582 537849 2.28(±0.10) 5.86(±0.19) 4.70(±0.16) 9.70(±0.45) 1.94(±0.11) 2.50(±0.21) 1.09(±0.07) 3.62(±0.19)
9 MD-583 537850 2.40(±0.11) 5.60(±0.37) 4.23(±0.58) 6.98(±0.42) 2.04(±0.16) 3.38(±0.28) 1.19(±0.21) 2.79(±0.43)
137
10 MD-584 537851 2.46(±0.08) 5.66(±0.25) 4.34(±0.34) 10.78(±0.77) 2.28(±0.08) 4.30(±0.16) 1.83(±0.04) 2.50(±0.33)
11 MD-585 537852 2.54(±0.09) 5.62(±0.37) 4.57(±0.45) 11.18(±0.42) 2.26(±0.11) 3.96(±0.14) 1.72(±0.14) 2.84(±0.37)
12 MD-586 537853 2.40(±0.10) 6.08(±0.20) 6.05(±0.19) 9.64(±0.89) 1.94(±0.05) 3.40(±0.08) 1.55(±0.15) 4.51(±0.31)
13 MD-587 537854 2.44(±0.04) 6.02(±0.16) 5.17(±0.24) 12.94(±0.70) 1.96(±0.08) 3.66(±0.19) 1.27(±0.13) 3.90(±0.20)
14 MD-588 537855 2.48(±0.13) 6.80(±0.20) 5.25(±0.17) 9.40(±1.01) 2.24(±0.10) 3.64(±0.18) 1.88(±0.23) 3.54(±0.29)
15 MD-589 537856 2.18(±0.09) 6.30(±0.08) 4.26(±0.21) 9.29(±1.07) 1.92(±0.10) 3.86(±0.07) 1.54(±0.12) 2.73(±0.14)
16 MD-590 537857 2.62(±0.09) 5.80(±0.24) 5.41(±0.47) 9.40(±0.33) 2.20(±0.11) 4.18(±0.22) 1.84(±0.20) 3.55(±0.37)
17 MD-591 537858 3.35(±0.15) 7.52(±0.19) 8.84(±0.38) 6.48(±0.40) 2.62(±0.07) 3.35(±0.22) 2.05(±0.09) 6.96(±0.36)
18 MD-592 537859 3.04(±0.12) 7.30(±0.55) 5.95(±0.34) 7.86(±0.21) 2.02(±0.10) 4.24(±0.36) 4.02(±0.27) 1.94(±0.51)
19 MD-593 537860 2.12(±0.07) 5.48(±0.07) 3.11(±0.15) 10.28(±0.33) 2.16(±0.44) 3.80(±0.23) 0.97(±0.05) 2.13(±0.11)
20 MD-594 537861 2.20(±0.06) 5.52(±0.18) 4.63(±0.29) 8(±0.40) 1.90(±0.10) 3.88(±0.08) 1.35(±0.10) 3.28(±0.30)
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3.15 Tamarindus indica (Tamarind)
Botanical name: Tamarindus indica Linn.

Common name : English - Tamarind, Vernacular- Imli and amli
Family: Fabaceae
Origin and distribution: Origin of tamarind has been reported to be in the tropical
Africa (Stewart and Brandis, 1992) and it still grows wild throughout the Sudan. It is
believed to be introduced into India since ancient time and even occasionally reported
as indigenous to India. From India it apparently reached the Persians and the Arabs
who called it “tamar hindi” (Indian date, from the date-like appearance of the dried
pulp), giving rise to both its common and generic names. Unfortunately, the specific
name, “indica”, also perpetuates the illusion of Indian origin (Morton, 1987). It is
grown throughout India and being a cross pollinated species vast diversity is available
in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat,
Rajasthan and northeastern Indian states. In Andhra Pradesh alone the total area under
tamarind is about 6,099 hectares with estimated annual production of 46,962 tons
(Anonymous, 2010).
General description: Tamarind is a medium to large, slow-growing, long-lived,
evergreen tree with the height reaching upto 80 feet (Fig. 34A, B). Leaves are bright
green, pinnate, dense and feathery in appearance and making it an attractive shade
tree with an open branch structure. There are usually as many as 10 to 20 nearly
sessile 1/2 - 1 inch, pale green leaflets per leaf. Flowers inconspicuous, five-petalled
flowers are borne in small racemes and are yellow with orange or red streaks. The
flower buds are pink due to the outer color of the 4 sepals which are shed when the
flower opens. Fruit a pod 5 - 12 inch long, brown, irregularly curved pods are borne
in abundance along the new branches (Fig. 34C). As the pods mature, they fill out
somewhat and the juicy, acidulous pulp turns brown or reddish-brown. When fully
ripe, the shells are brittle and easily broken. The pulp dehydrates to a sticky paste
enclosed by a few coarse stands of fiber. The pods may contain from 1 to 12 large,
flat, glossy brown, obovate seeds embedded in the brown, edible pulp. The pulp has
a pleasing sweet/sour flavor and is high in both acid and sugar. It is also rich in vitamin
B and high in calcium. There are wide differences in fruit size and flavor in seedling
139
trees. Two types of terminal shoots have been observed, short ones with an erect
habit and long ones with a drooping habit. It is reported that production of flowers
varies considerably between selections in India. Those with longer vegetative terminal
shoots produce more flowers. The period from flowering to pod ripening is 8-10
months. Ripe fruits, however, may remain on the tree until the next flowering period.
Fruits are harvested from April to May.
Propagation: Tamarind is generally propagated by seeds, however, vegetative
propagation is also successful using veneer grafting, shield (T or inverted T) budding
and air layering. Vegetatively propagated trees will usually fruit within 3 - 4 years
while seedlings begin to produce fruit in 6 - 8 years. Vegetative propagation has been
recently attempted with success in budding (75-80%) and softwood grafting (60-
75%) by Singh et al (2010).
Cultivars/selections: There is not much work undertaken on improvement and
selection of tamarind. Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani, Maharastra
released three varieties of tamarind namely ‘Pratisthan’ (pulp has acid sweet taste,
60% pulp, 8% tartaric acid in pulp), ‘Yogeshwari’ (high yielding type with red pulp,
regular bearer, 11.00% acidity) and selection No.263 from Fruit Research Station,
Aurangabad (high yielding, regular bearer, 16% tartaric acid in pulp). Other varieties
from Tamil Nadu are PKM-1from Horticulture College and Research Institute,
Periyakulam, a clonal selection (an early variety with 39% pulp content) and Urigam
l, a progeny of more than 200 year old tree identified near Urigam by the Department
of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu, providing very long pods and sweet pulp (Pareek and
Awasthi, 2002; Anonymous, 2010). Two selections DTS 1 and DTS 2 have been
identified by College of Horticulture, Arbhavi (University of Agricultural Sciences,
Dharwad) have also been found promising for various pod characters.
Important uses: Tamarind is a multipurpose tropical fruit tree used primarily for its
fruits, which are eaten fresh or processed in several ways (Fig. 34E, F), used as a
seasoning or spice and the fruits and seeds are processed for non-food uses. Fruit
contains upto 73% edible pulp in which major constituents are tartaric acid and invert
sugars. Pulp is rich source of calcium, phosphorous, riboflavin, niacin and thiamine.
Pulp of tamarind in India is used in several ways as per the locality and food habit of
local inhabitants. This is used in the preparations of chutney, tamarind powder, puree,
juice concentrate, jam, jelly, candies, pickles and fruit leather. Several value added
products have been developed by Central Food and Technological Research Institute
(CFTRI), Mysore to increase use, shelf life and value of tamarind pulp. Tamarind
seeds are also commercially important and utilized in several ways. Most important is
Tamarind Kernel Powder (TKP) which is prepared by fine grinding of tamarind kernel
and used for sizing in textile industry.
140

Collection: Systematic collections and evaluation of tamarind germplasm from India
has not been taken up (Pareek and Awasthi, 2002). However, 248 collections have
been made by various organizations mainly from the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat,
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal
and northeastern states. Recently the attention have been given to this crop under the
ICAR network project on Underutilized fruits and some promising collections have
been made by CISH, Lucknow (5 accessions) and CHES (CIAH), Godhra from
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Variability of tamarind has also been
collected from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh by State
Agricultural Universities and State Forest Departments. NBPGR, New Delhi collected
9 diverse germplasm collections from various states (Fig. 35 and Table 30).
Characterization: Germplasm of tamarind have been characterized and evaluated at
TNAU, Research Station, Arupukottai where 10 accessions have been evaluated and
significant genotypic differences were recorded and T111 Faizabad and PKM1 were
found promising for important traits. A total of 5 accessions were scored for recording
variability in terms of fruit and seed characters. Reproductive biology and breeding
system have been studied in 5 clones of tamarind at IFGTB, Coimbatore. Variability in
morphological and physico-chemical characters has been observed in the germplasm
collected from Maharashtra (Keskar et al., 1989; Shinde et al., 1995), Karnataka
(Challapalli, 1995), Andhra Pradesh (Mastan et al., 1997) and Chhattisgarh (Awasthi
and Sharma, 1998). State Silvicultural Division, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh identified
52 high yielding genotypes of tamarind based on morphological and physico-chemical
characters of fruits (Pareek and Awasthi, 2002). A red fleshed tamarind tree having
sweet pulp (TSS>85%) have been reported in village Faraskot, Dantewada, Bastar
district of Chhattisgarh by Awasthi and Sharma (1998). In view of the vast genetic
diversity present in India of this important fruit species, there is a still need to
systematically characterize and evaluate germplasm from the other parts of India
including northeastern states.
Germplasm collected at NBPGR, New Delhi have been characterised for some
fruit and seed characters (Table 31). The fruit length x width varied from 7.50 cm x
1.76 cm to 11.13 cm x 5.94 cm. The total fruit weight showed variation ranging from
6.4 to 12.93 g. Seed length x width varied from 0.93 cm x 1.02 cm to 1.43 cm x 2.20
cm. The seed weight did not show large variation as it ranged from 0.5 to 0.76 gm.
The promising accessions with large heavy fruits were IC552936 and IC552913. In
fact largest heavy fruits with small seeds were found in IC552913.
141
Fig. 35. Collection sites of tamarind from various states of India
Conservation: Germplasm of Tamarind is being maintained at several state Agricultural

Universities and state forest departments, UAS, Dharwad (19 accessions),
Marathwada Agricultural University, Parbhani, Maharashtra (3 accessions),
Aurangabad, Maharashtra (351 accessions), Pune, Maharashtra (118 accessions),
Horticulture College and Research Institute, Priyakulam, Tamil Nadu (85 accessions),
TNAU, Research Station, Arrupukotti (26 accessions) and ANGARU, Research
Station, Anantpur (15 accessions), CHES (CIAH), Godhra and Belgaum, Karnataka
(40 accessions). Besides this several promising accessions are being maintained at
142
various nurseries of State Forests Departments namely Forest Department, Karnataka

(220 plus trees) and Forest Department, Tamil Nadu (328 plus trees).
Seed physiology, storage behavior and cryopreservation of tamarind seeds have
been undertaken at NBPGR, New Delhi. Seeds are orthodox in nature as they showed
complete desiccation and freezing sensitivity and seeds showed upto 50% viability by
18 months storage (Table 4). Freshly shed seeds showed 35% moisture with high
viability of 97%. Seeds retrieved from liquid nitrogen showed high viability of 94%.
Total 10 accessions of tamarind have been cryostored at NBPGR, New Delhi.
143
Table 30. Passport data of Tamarindus indica (Tamarind) germplasm collected from various states
Name Statu
1 MD - 802 552909 Tamarind Tamarindus indica Khati amli Wild Vadodara Gujarat 21.18 73.23
2 MD - 803 552910 Tamarind Tamarindus indica Khati amli Wild Vadodara Gujarat 21.18 73.23
3 MD - 806 552913 Tamarind Tamarindus indica Khati amli Wild Bharuch Gujarat 21.75 73.12
4 MD-28 395742 Tamarind Tamarindus indica Imli Wild Panchmahal Gujarat 23.80 73.65
144
5 MD - 829 552936 Tamarind Tamarindus indica Khati amli Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.47 75.28
6 MD - 844 552951 Tamarind Tamarindus indica Khati amli Wild Neemach Madhya Pradesh 24.43 75.09
7 MD/07/136 558160 Tamarind Tamarindus indica Change Wild West Garo hills Meghalaya 25.38 90.25
8 MD-264 423598 Tamarind Tamarindus indica Imli Wild Sirohi Rajasthan 24.83 72.91
9 RS/NSP-6 553199 Tamarind Tamarindus indica Imli Wild Narsinghpur Madhya Pradesh 22.50 79.21
Table 31. Characterization of Tamarindus indica (Tamarind) germplasm based on fruits and seeds characters
S. No Coll. No IC No. Fruit Seed
Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (gm) Length (cm) Width (cm) Weight (gm)
1 MD-802 552909 7.50 (±1.03) 1.76 (±0.05) 7.66 (±1.48) 0.93(±0.08) 1.11(±0.06) 0.57(±0.02)
2 MD-803 552910 8.40 (±1.19) 1.86 (±0.04) 7.10 (±1.16) 1.12(±0.04) 1.02(±0.07) 0.65(±0.05)
145
3 MD-806 552913 10.00 (±0.99) 5.94 (±0.23) 8.22 (±1.32) 1.10(±0.06) 1.56(±0.12) 0.53(±0.06)
4 MD-829 552936 11.13 (±0.24) 5.90 (±0.15) 12.93 (±0.84) 1.43(±0.04) 2.20(±0.06) 0.76(±0.03)
5 MD-844 552949 8.23 (±0.41) 5.88 (±0.19) 6.40 (±1.76) 1.23(±0.04) 1.90(±0.13) 0.50(±0.07)
146
3.16 Ziziphus Species (Ber)
Botanical name: Ziziphus species– Z. mauritiana Lam, syn. Z. jujube (L.) Lam.
non Mill.; Z. nummularia (Burm. F.) Wt. et Arn., Syn Z. rotundifolia Lamk.
Common name: English - Indian jujube; Hindi: Z. mauritiana- Ber, Z. nummularia-
Jharber
Family: Rhamnaceae
Origin and distribution: The Z. mauritiana (ber) is native to Province of Yunnan in
southern China to Afghanistan, Malaysia and Queensland, Australia (Morton, 1987).
It is native of South and Central Asia, found throughout the arid and semi-arid tracts
(Hocking, 1993). It is cultivated to some extent throughout its natural range on
commercial scale and has received much horticultural attention in India (Morton, 1987).
Z. nummularia (Jharber) is native to Indian sub-continent and commonly found
throughout drier parts of India (Stewart and Brandis, 1992; Pandey et al., 2010). Z.
nummularia is common in the dry arid areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Overall the genetic diversity of Ziziphus is high in
India and about 20 species are found between 8.5ON to 32.5ON and 69-84OE (Awasthi
and More, 2008).
General description: Z. mauritiana is a gregarious spiny shrub or a small tree, ends
of branches decurved or drooping. Branches and branchlets armed with short stipular
spines. The plant is a vigorous grower and has a rapidly-developing taproot. Plant
may be evergreen, or leafless for several weeks in hot summers. The leaves are sessile,
alternate, ovate- or oblong-elliptic, 2.5-7.5 cm long and 2-4 cm wide; distinguished
from those of the Chinese jujube by the dense, silky, whitish or brownish hairs on the
underside and the short, downy petioles. On the upper surface, glabrous, dark-green,
with 3 conspicuous, depressed, longitudinal veins, and there are very fine teeth on the
margins. The flowers greenish- yellow, tiny, on short stalk, in 2’s or 3’s in the leaf axils.
The fruit drupe varying in size depending upon the wild or cultivated nature of plant, in
wild 1.25-2.5 cm long while in cultivation, the fruit reaches upto 5.00 cm in length and
3.5 cm in width. The shape may be oval, obovate, round or oblong; the skin smooth
or rough, glossy, thin but tough, turns from light-green to yellow, later becomes partially
147
or wholly burnt-orange or red-brown or red. When slightly underripe, the flesh is

white, crisp, juicy, acid or subacid to sweet, somewhat astringent. Fully ripe fruits are
less crisp and somewhat mealy; overripe fruits are wrinkled, the flesh buff-colored,
soft, spongy and musky. At first the aroma is apple like and pleasant but it becomes
peculiarly musky as the fruit ripens. There is a single, hard, oval or oblate, rough
central stone which contains 2 elliptic, brown seeds, upto 6 mm long. Flowering is in
July to September and fruiting starts from October to January.
Z. nummularia is highly prickly, multi stemmed small shrub maximum up to 2 m
tall with deep and extensive lateral root system (Fig. 36 A, B). Branchlets bifarous,
flexuose, armed with twin stipular spines, one straight slender, very sharp, 6.25-12.5
mm long and second shorter, hooked bent downwards. Leaves on short petiole, ovate,
obtuse, denticulate. Flowers 10-20, in axillary, short, compact cymes. Fruits, drupe,
globose (Fig. 36C) smaller than Z. mauritiana about 1-2 cm. in diameter, red, glabrous,
shining when ripe, kernel rugose, 2 celled with a hard osseous shell (Steward and
Brandis, 1992).
Propagation: The Indian jujube is widely grown from seeds, which may remain viable
for 2 1/2 years but the rate of germination declines with storage period (Morton,
1987). Vegetative propagation in ber is very common and several budding and grafting
techniques have been successfully applied by horticulturists. Large scale experiments
on suitability of rootstocks using Z. nummularia, Z. rotundifolia, Z. sprina-cristi
have been conducted at CAZRI. Best rootstock has been proved to the Z. rotundifolia
locally known as ‘Tikdi Ber’ for Z. mauritaina. Grafted plants are less thorny than
seedlings.
Cultivars/selections: In India cultivated ber (Z. mauritiana) has more than 300
varieties but only a few are commercially important (Pareek and Nath, 1996). These
varieties developed as a result of selection in different ecoregions from the progenies
emanating from cross pollination between different Ziziphus species and /or between
types/cultivars of ber (Pareek, 2001). Some of the important cultivars are Umran,
Banarasi, Gola, Illaichi, Punjab Chuhhara, Seb, Kadak, Kaithli, Katha phal, Dandan,
Gular Bashi, Kheera, Nazuk and Sanur.
Recently some cultivars have been released by CIAH, Bikaner namely Goma
Kirti (a highly yielding early maturing variety, which fetches good price in the market.
It is resistant to various diseases and pests by virtue of its earliness), Thar Sevika
(developed by the hybridization from a cross Seb x Katha), Thar Sevika is an early
maturing variety. The fruits are juicy, sweet with a TSS content of 22-24%. Fruits after
consumption do not cause throat soaring, which is common in other cultivars. Average
148
fruit yield is 30-32 Kg/tree. The hybrid is also suitable for staggered picking which can
be done up to third week of January), Thar Bhubhraj, a selection from local material
of Bhusavar area of Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and CIAH-Sel-1 is an early maturing
cultivar having an average yield potential of 30-36 kg/tree. The fruits are ready for
harvesting during last week of December-First week of January. The fruits are very
juicy, sweet with a TSS content of 22-23%. Detailed studies by Saran et al. (2007)
have identified diverse genotypes to be used as parents for developing disease resistant
and smaller stone size breeding material in Indian jujube.
Important uses: Cultivated ber is an important fruit of tropics and sold as fresh fruit
throughout India and fetch good return to the farmers. Fruit is a rich source of calcium,
phosphorous, protein, minerals, vitamin C and vitamin A. Ripe fruit is consumed as
popular dessert and processed for various value added products such as murabba,
candy, sharbat, squash and powdered fruits after drying are also consuned. Fruits,
seeds and bark are important in the Indian System of Medicine and bark is used as a
cure for dysentery and boils and fruit as laxative and aphrodisiac.
Genetic Resources management:

Collection: Germplasm of ber have been collected from various states and extensive
collection have been made for assembling the existing variability. Major emphasis has
been on the trees having prolific bearing, large fruits, small stone, earliness, good shelf
life, resistance to powdery mildew and fruit fly resistance. Germplasm of various species
of Ziziphus has been collected from almost all the parts of India - 137 accessions of
Z. mauritiana have been collected from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Jharkhand and few accessions from Himachal
Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir and northeastern states of India; 88
accessions of Z. nummularia and 9 accessions of Z. rotundifolia have been collected
from drier parts of India mainly Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat; 39
accessions of Z. oenoplea mainly for southern states namely Andhra Pradesh,
Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu; 15 accessions of Z. rugosa from Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and 10 accessions of Z. xylopyrus have
been collected from Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa. Besides this several
collections have been made by the State Horticultural Departments, State Universities
and other organizations and being maintained in the field genebanks. There are still
unexplored areas of ber variability from where promising types can be collected for
crop improvement programs. Seedling ber trees are found extensively growing wildly
in arid and semi-arid areas (Chandra et al., 1994). Areas surveyed (Fig. 37) and
collections (10) made by NBPGR, New Delhi and passport data is presented in
Table 32.
149
Characterization: Ber germplasm have been characterized at various locations in

India. Systematic characterization and evaluation of germplasm and released varieties
have been undertaken at various centers of All India Coordinated Project on Arid
Fruits (Pareek and Nath, 1996). Local collections and released varieties have been
evaluated for field performance and evaluation at these locations and suitable varieties
Jammu and Kashmir
Rajasthan
Fig. 37. Collection sites of ber germplasm from various states
have been recommended for commercial cultivation. In Maharashtra extensive

evaluation have been undertaken at MPKV, Rahuri and improved varieties namely
Umran, Kadaka, Sanur No.6, Gola, Illaichi and Punjab Chuhhara have been
popularised and pruning technology has been developed for high yield of better quality
fruits. Due to continuous efforts of the University scientists and extension workers, ber
is cultivated over 30,000 hectares in Maharashtra and 90,000 hectares plantation of
improved ber trees in India (Awasthi and More, 2008).
Germplasm of various varieties have been evaluated at various other centres namely
PAU, RS, Bahadurgarh, (40 varieties), GAU, SK Nagar (64 varieties), CCHAU,
Regional Research Station, Bawal (49 varieties) and ANDUAT, Faizabad (40
Varieties). At HAU, Hisar 70 cultivars collected from all ber growing areas of northern
150
India were established in an experimental orchard in 1967-68 and in 1980, 16

midseason selections from these were evaluated. ‘Banarasi Karaka’ gave the highest
yield, 130 kg per tree-followed by ‘Mudia Murhara’ and ‘Kaithli’, and ‘Sanauri 5’
and ‘Desi Alwar’. ‘Mudia Murhara’, ‘Kaithli’ and ‘Sanauri 5’ were recommended of
commercial cultivation. For breeding purposes, ‘Banarasi Karaka’ and ‘Desi Alwar’
could contribute high pulp content; ‘Mudia Murhara’, total soluble solids; ‘Kaithli’,
high ascorbic acid content and good flavor, in efforts to develop a superior midseason
cultivar.
Conservation: Conservation of ber genetic resources has been widely undertaken in
the field genebanks of various centres of AICRP of Arid Fruits. It is the hardiest
cultivated fruit tree whose germplasm is mainly maintained in field genebanks (Shukla
et al, 2007). Germplasm collected from various states and selections/cultivars identified
are being conserved in the field genebanks for improvement and field evaluation at
various institutes. Present status of ber germplasm at important centres is, CIAH,
Bikaner (318 accessions), NBPGR, Jodhpur (146 accessions), MPKV, Rahuri (93
accessions), CCSHAU, Hisar (79 accessions), GAU, SK Nagar (75 accessions),
CAZRI, Jodhpur (68 accessions), CCSHAU, Regional Research Station, Bawal (47
accessions), PAU, Regional Station, Bahadurgarh (41 accessions), IARI, New Delhi
(39 accessions), PAU, Ludhiana (34 accessions) and IIHR, Bangalore (32 accessions)
(Vashishtha et al., 2005 and CIAH, Bikaner).
In the studies undertaken at NBPGR, orthodox seed storage behavior was found
in Ziziphus species which is in conformity with that reported by Hong et al., 1996.
Seeds shed at 25% moisture showed high seed germination and when exposed to
liquid nitrogen, high survival value of 86% was achieved. More than 42 accessions of
different Ziziphus species have been cryostored in Cryogenebank at NBPGR
(Table 5).
151
Table 32. Passport data of Ziziphus species germplasm collected from J&K and Rajasthan
Name Status
1 NSP/OPD 438479 Chinese Ziziphus jujuba Ber Wild Udhampur Jammu and 33.18 75.23
-04-30 Jujube Kashmir
2 MD-252 423587 Ber Ziziphus nummulariaJharber Wild Jaipur Rajasthan 27.54 75.76
3 MD-268 423602 Ber Ziziphus nummulariaJhahrberi Wild Udaipur Rajasthan 24.56 74.00
152
4 MD-270 423604 Ber Ziziphus nummulariaJhahrberi Wild Udaipur Rajasthan 24.38 73.74
5 MD-275 423609 Ber Ziziphus nummulariaBordi Wild Dungarpur Rajasthan 23.83 73.71
8 MD-296 423630 Ber Ziziphus nummulariaBordi Wild Chittorgarh Rajasthan 24.90 74.64
9 MD-298 423632 Ber Ziziphus nummulariaBer Wild Ajmer Rajasthan 26.35 74.63
10 MD-574 471254 Ber Ziziphus nummulariaPala Wild Tonk Rajasthan 26.16 75.78
153
4. Future Perspective
Southeast Asia is a centre of diversity of a number of tropical fruits, Indian sub-

continent comprising vast semi-arid and arid areas have enormous diversity of
underutilized fruit species. A number of multipurpose tree species commonly grow as
populations unattended in these inhospitable and stressed environments and also in the
agricultural fields as isolated trees or in small groups. In most of the species no organized
orcharding, nutritional management and plant protection practices are followed. These
species have outstanding adaptation capabilities to drought tolerance, salt tolerance
and are also resistant to major pest and diseases. Continued overexploitation of these
species from natural habitats, increasing demand for land for agriculture and industry
and least attention for this natural wealth has resulted in extensive degradation of their
habitats. Protection, maintenance and extension of tree cover is also essential to support
agricultural production besides meeting the requirements of local population for fodder,
feed, fuelwood and timber (Hockings, 1993). It is, therefore, urgent to take up the
work on genetic resource management and improvement of underutilized fruits to
ensure the food and nutritional security of tribal and rural population and to enhance
the income of farmers cultivating these fruits. Following thrust and priority areas have
been identified and suggested for the efficient management of genetic resources and
for giving desired impetus to their promotion:
1. Specific survey and exploration are to be carried out on the basis of thorough
gap analysis to collect specific genetic resources of these species from natural
wild or semi-domesticated locations.
2. Several of these underutilized fruit species are propagated through seeds and
posses vast genetic variability and heterogeneity for important traits. There is
an urgent need to characterize and evaluate the available germplasm for the
identification of area/state specific quality genotypes for commercial horticulture.
3. Vegetative propagation techniques are to be developed for maintaining the
genotype purity and early bearing of these underutilized fruits.
4. To promote traditional underutilized fruits and to enhance the farmers income
especially of small and marginal farmers selection of suitable cultivars and
154
availability of planting material is desirable. Cultivars with following traits would

be important:
a) Cultivars with high and stable production potential
b) Cultivars with ability to resist/tolerate stresses
c) Cultivars with diverse quality traits
d) Specific genetic resources e.g i) Cultivars for given niches ii) Cultivars specific
for agro-processing iii) Cultivars specific with export potential
5. Facilities for fruit marketing, processing and value addition of products should
be developed at panchayat and block levels for ensuring desirable economic
returns to farmers and also help in crop diversification. This would help in
enhancing socio-economic conditions of farmers and safe guard the invaluable
diversity of these indigenous fruits and associated traditional knowledge.
6. In situ conservation priorities for these species are to be developed immediately
to ensure their dynamic conservation by identifying protected areas and on
farm conservation sites.
7. Several ex-situ conservation approaches have been suggested depending on
propagation method and storage behavior of these fruit species for long-term
conservation. Successful protocols are to be developed for true-to-type
conservation of species where promising cultivars have been identified.
8. Molecular characterization studies are to be intensified in these underutilized
fruit species to support the morphological characterization and assess the exact
level of genetic diversity and its utilization.
9. Besides horticultural importance some of these species are excellent source
for genes of heat, water stress and salt tolerance. Expressed Sequence Tag’s
(ESTs) identified from these species would provide an insight into the molecular
basis of stress tolerance.
155
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Annexure I
Acronyms
ANDUAT - Acharya Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology

BAP- 6 - Benzylaminopurine
CARI - Central Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair, Andaman and
Nicobar
CAZRI - Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur
CCSHAU - Chaudhury Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar
CFTRI - Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore
CHES - Central Horticultural Experimental Station, Godhra
CHES - Central Horticultural Experimental Station, Chettalli
CIAH - Central Institute of Arid Horticulture, Bikaner,
CISH - Central Institute of Sub-Tropical Horticulture, Lucknow
CMC - Critical Moisture Content
GAU - Gujarat Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar
GBPUAT - Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology,
Pantnagar
HGR - Horticultural Genetic Resources
IARI - Indian Agricultural ResearchInstitute, New Delhi
ICRAF - International Center for Research in Agroforestry, Nairobi, Kenya
IFGTB - Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding, Coimbatore
IIHR - Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore
IISR - Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut
MPKV - Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidaypeeth, Rahuri
MPUAT - Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology
NAA - Napthaleneacetic acid
NOVOD - National Oilseeds and Vegetable Oils Development Board,
Board Gurgaon
167
PAU, RS - Punjab Agriculture University, Regional Station, Bahadurgarh

PAU - Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana
RAU - Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner
SAU - State Agriculture University
TSS - Total Soluble Solids
TTC - 2,3,5 Triphenyl Tetrazolium Chloride
TNAU - Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, Research Station, Arrupukotti
UAS - University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
168
GENETIC RESOURCES OF TROPICAL UNDERUTILIZED FRUITS IN INDIA

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GENETIC RESOURCES OF

National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources

National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources

Indian agriculture, passing through various revaluations has achieved unprecedented

Authors sincerely acknowledge the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and

2. Genetic resource management 3

3. Description of fruit species 18

4. Future perspective 154

Research launched a “National Network Project on Underutilized Fruits” to collect,

2. Genetic Resource Management

2.1 Exploration and collection

Fig. 1: Collection sites of tropical underutilized fruits from India

2.2 Characterization and evaluation

Fig. 2: Conservation strategies for horticultural genetic resources (HGR)

Conservation of horticulture genetic resources (HGR) and specifically the

Fig. 3: Candidates for conservation in HGR and their propagation methods

2.3.2 In situ conservation

2) In situ on-farm conservation would be an ideal approach for conserving local

Table 2. Effect of liquid nitrogen exposure on germination of seed, embryo

Species name Explant CMC Germination Viability (%) at CMC

Aegle marmelos Seed 4.4 TP, BP 70 65.5

Table 4. Desiccation and freezing sensitivity and longevity of seeds as a

Aegle marmelos 24 months 1.07 11.60 I* Seed & Embryo

CMC=Critical Moisture Content * also reported by Parihar et al, 2010

Table 5. Seed longevity and number of accessions cryostored of underutilized

Species Shelf life i.e. longevity No. of accessions

organised processing and export of these fruits would provide an opportunity to

Source: Pareek et al., 1998

3. Description of fruit species

3.1 Aegle marmelos (Bael)

Genetic Resource Management

S. Collector IC Crop Botanical Vernacular Biological District State Latitude Longitude

S. No. Coll. No. IC No. Fruit Seed

3.2 Buchanania lanzan (Chironji)

Botanical name: Buchanania lanzan Sperg. syn. B. latifolia Roxb.

Cultivars/selections: No identified cultivars or selections identified in this important

Fig. 7: Collection sites of Chironji in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh

S.No. Coll. No. IC No. Fruit Seed

2 MD-813 552920 1.05 (±0.05) 1.04(±0.05) 0.37(±0.02) 0.68(±0.04) 0.52(±0.03) 0.06(±0.01)

3 MD-814 552921 1.22(±0.03) 1.16(±0.02) 0.61(±0.03) 0.78(±0.03) 0.54(±0.02) 0.25(±0.15)

4 MD-815 552922 0.98(±0.05) 1.18(±0.03) 0.49(±0.04) 0.54(±0.04) 0.72(±0.04) 0.07(±0.01)

5 MD-816 552923 0.9(±0.03) 0.82(±0.08) 0.39(±0.02) 0.62(±0.02) 0.5(±0.04) 0.21(±0.09)

7 MD-818 552925 1.16(±0.02) 1.16(±0.04) 0.47(±0.03) 0.76(±0.02) 0.57(±0.02) 0.06(±0.01)

8 MD-825 552932 1.08(±0.02) 1.1(±0.020) 0.39(±0.01) 0.68(±0.02) 0.48(±0.02) 0.06(±0.00)

9 MD-826 552933 1.08(±0.02) 1.1(±0.020) 0.39(±0.01) 0.74(±0.02) 0.58(±0.04) 0.09(±0.01)

10 MD-849 552956 1.22(±0.02) 1.1(±0.03) 0.44(±0.01) 0.74(±0.02) 0.54(±0.02) 0.08(±0.00)

11 MD-06/24 546107 1.4(±0.03) 1.2(±0.00) 0.58(±0.03) 1.3(±0.00) 1.1(±0.00) 0.36(±0.01)

12 MD-06/26 546109 1.43(±0.04) 1.03(±0.04) 0.55(±0.02) 1.15(±0.02) 0.83(±0.02) 0.24(±0.01)

13 MD-10/16 584565 1.00(±0.03) 0.43(±0.18) 0.31(±0.02) 0.66(±0.00) 0.47(±0.00) 0.06(±0.00)

14 MD-10/17 584566 1.18(±0.02) 1.16(±0.03) 0.51(±0.02) 0.78(±0.02) 0.58(±0.01) 0.11(±0.01)

15 MD-10/18 584567 1.09(±0.02) 1.00(±0.01) 0.35(±0.01) 0.67(±0.02) 0.51(±0.03) 0.07(±0.01)

17 RS/NSP – 2 553195 1.14(±0.02) 1.08(±0.02) 0.47(±0.02) 0.78(±0.02) 0.6(±0.00) 0.08(±0.00)

18 RS/NSP – 3 553196 1.06(±0.04) 0.96(±0.05) 0.42(±0.02) 0.76(±0.02) 0.54(±0.02) 0.06(±0.00)

19 RS/NSP – 4 553197 1.06(±0.04) 1(±0.04) 0.33(±0.02) 0.66(±0.07) 0.5(±0.05) 0.05(±0.01)

20 RS/NSP – 5 553198 1.08(±0.02) 1.04(±0.02) 0.4(±0.03) 0.72(±0.02) 0.54(±0.02) 0.08(±0.01)

21 RS/NSP – 7 553200 0.92(±0.02) 0.82(±0.02) 0.24(±0.02) 0.58(±0.02) 0.44(±0.02) 0.04(±0.00)

22 RS/NSP – 8 553201 0.96(±0.02) 1.02(±0.02) 0.29(±0.01) 0.68(±0.02) 0.44(±0.02) 0.04(±0.00)

23 RS/NSP – 9 553202 1.08(±0.03) 0.98(±0.03) 0.45(±0.04) 0.62(±0.02) 0.5(±0.03) 0.06(±0.01)

24 RS/NSP – 10 553203 1(±0.03) 0.94(±0.02) 0.32(±0.03) 0.7(±0.03) 0.48(±0.02) 0.05(±0.01)

25 RS/NSP – 11 553204 0.94(±0.02) 0.92(±0.03) 0.29(±0.01) 0.64(±0.02) 0.5(±0.03) 0.06(±0.00)

27 RS/NSP – 13 553206 0.86(±0.02) 1(±0.00) 0.3(±0.01) 0.76(±0.02) 0.52(±0.02) 0.08(±0.01)

28 RS/NSP – 14 553207 0.94(±0.05) 0.92(±0.04) 0.28(±0.04) 0.62(±0.05) 0.46(±0.04) 0.06(±0.01)

29 RS/NSP – 15 553208 1(±0.03) 1(±0.03) 0.41(±0.03) 0.62(±0.05) 0.48(±0.04) 0.06(±0.01)