Genetic resource survey of mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata Blanco) in the northeastern Himalayan region of India

摘要

A genetic resource survey for the mandarin orange plant (Citrus reticulata Blanco) was conducted in 18 locations covering 5 states of the northeastern Himalayan region of India. Fifty-four potential elite plants were selected for different characterssuch as plant type, fruit quality, yield and disease and pest tolerance from these locations. Significant variation in these characters was noticed not only among plants from different locations but also among plants from the same location. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiling of the selected plants also showed this variation to the same extent and established that the variation has a strong genetic basis. Nucellar and zygotic progenies of the selected plant types have been developed through embryo culture and are being maintained in the nursery. This study concludes that it is necessary to explore more thoroughly the wide genetic diversity of the mandarin orange in the northeastern Himalayan region for the sake of plant improvement as well as conservation of plant genetic resources.