Pomegranate fruit

1. BREEDING OF POMEGRANATE
• TAXONOMY
 Botanical name : Punica granatum
 Family : Punicaceae
 Origin : Iran
 Chromosome number : 2n =18

2. INTRODUCTION
 Pomegranate is a favourite fruit of tropical and sub tropical regions
grown for its delicious fruits which has juicy edible arils.
 It is consumed as fresh fruits, processed forms like bottled juice,
syrup, jelly and products like anardana.
 It is one of the important dollar earning fruit crop with huge export
potential.
 The name ‘‘pomegranate’’ follows the Latin name of the fruit Malum
granatum, which means ‘‘grainy apple.

3.  This fruit crop can be grown in diverse agro climate, it can tolerate
salinity and saline irrigation water, it can also tolerate drought to
some extent, however commercial cultivation requires assured
irrigation facility.
 Important pomegranate growing states are Maharastra Karnataka,
AP,TN, Gujarat.

4. BOTANY
Leaves
 Leaves have an oblanceolate shape with an obtuse apex and
acuminate base.
 Mature leaves are green, smooth, and hairless with short petioles.
 They usually have a special glossy appearance particularly at the
upper part of the leaf.

6. Flowers
 Flowering occurs about 1 month after bud break on newly developed
branches of the same year, mostly on spurs or short branches.
 In the early stage, the flower resembles a small pear with a greenish
color on its basal part and reddish color on its apex .
 The petals are orange-red or pink
 The flowers are borne on the leaf axils of current season growth. The
position of inflorences or flower varies from variety to variety.

7. Flowers
 Several pomegranate cultivars from India, Russia, China, were
reported as ornamental pomegranates that are ‘‘double flowered’’
 These cultivars have an unusually high petal number and petal color.
 Pomegranate produces cymose inflorecences

9. Fruits
 The fruit develops from the ovary and is a fleshy berry.
 The nearly round fruit is crowned by the prominent calyx.
 The color of the edible juicy layer (Aril) can vary from white to deep
red, depending on the variety.
 The fruit ripens 5 to 8 months after fruit set,depending on the
variety

11.  It is reported that flowering in pomegranate is throughout the year
however there are 3 peak flushes i.e.
 Ambe bahar :Jan –Feb
 Mrig bahar : June-July
 Hast bahar : Sept-Oct
 Sepals: 5-8 fused in their base, vase shape
 Petals: 5-8, separated. Petals, alternate with the sepals,
 Stamens: Approx 300, long, orange-red filaments, yellow anther
 Carpels: Approx eight superimposed in two whorls. Syncarpus
FLORAL BIOLOGY

12. Dehiscence of anther
 Anthesis commences from 8 am to 1 pm varying with the variety.
 Dehiscence commences from 8.00 am and continues till 3.00 pm
varying with the variety.
Stigma Receptivity
 One day before anthesis and remained in receptive condition up to
the second day after anthesis.

13. Mode of pollination
 Both self and cross pollination is reported in
pomegranate (cross pollinated crop) .
Prominant pollinators
• 3 species of Apis florea

14. Flowers
• Pomegranate produces three types flowers on the
same plant
• Male (‘‘bell shape’’) :20-47%
• Hermaphrodite(‘‘vase shape’’) : 25-60%
• Intermediate :14-24%

15. Male flower
 The bell-shape flower has a poorly
developed or no pistil and containing few
ovules and is infertile.
 Hence, they are referred as a male flower
 These flowers drop without fruit set

16. Hermophrodite flower
 The vase-shape flower is fertile with a normal
ovary capable of developing fruit
 The stigma is at the anthers height or
emerging above them
 This position allows for self-pollination as
well as pollination by insects

 The percentage of the vase-shape flowers in
Indian cultivar is 53% to 80%

17. Intermediate flower
 A third type of flower is also found
 They have long style or short style and a
developed ovary which is sometimes
fertile.
 Fruit set is not 100%

18.  The degree of fruit set by self-pollination varies among different
pomegranate cultivars
 In hermaphrodite flowers, 6% to 20%of pollen may be infertile;
 In male flowers, 14% to 28%are infertile.
 The size and fertility of the pollen vary with the cultivar and
season

20.  Punica –divided into two species
 1.Punica protopunica –wild form found in Socotra islands in Yemen
 2.Punica granatum- cultivated type
 Further P granatum is classified into three sub species
 P granatum sub sp chlorocarpa –found in transcaucacean region
 P granatum sub sp prophyrocarpa –found in Central Asia
 P granatum var nana –dwarf miniature variety suited for pot plant
production .
SPECIES

21. SPECIES
 Punica granatum
• P granatum is a deciduous shrub, bushy growing to a height of 2-6
metre with multiple branches, leaves are opposite, short, petiolated,
glabrous, dark green, oblong 4-8cm elliptical to lanceolate.
 Punica protopunica
• Punica protopunica, commonly known as the pomegranate tree or
Socotran pomegranate, is a species of flowering plant in the family
Lythraceae. It is endemic to the island of Socotra (Yemen). Its natural

22. P granatum var nana

23. VARIETIES
• Ganesh (GBI): A selection from Alandi, it was released for commercial
cultivation in 1936 and renamed as Ganesh in 1970.
• Its fruits are medium sized, with yellow, smooth surface and red tinge.
• The seeds are softly pinkish aril.
• Ganesh has revolutionized the cultivation of pomegranate in Maharashtra.

24. G137: This is a clonal selection from Ganesh. The tree has spreading habit, fruit
surface smooth, yellow with red tinge.
JYOTHI (Bassein seeedless x dholka):This is a selection from mixed population of
bassein seedless and dholka pomegranate. Red fruit with soft aril was released
from UAS Bangalore.
IIHR SELECTION: A soft seeded selection with a mean fruits weight of 255 gm. It
provides quality fruits with a heavy bearing capacity. It is a selection from open
pollinated seedlings.

25. MRIDULA (Ganesh x Gul-a-shah red):It is a selection from open pollinated progeny
raised from F₁ progeny of a cross ganesh x Gul-e- shah
RUBY (Ganesh x Kabul x Yercaud ):It is a hybrid of three way cross. Sweet, soft
seeded, The plants are dwarf, prolific bearer, providing uniformly red fruit.
CO 1: It is also high yielding selection. Its fruits are medium sized with attractive
rind, higher pulp content and sweet taste.

26. YERCAUD 1:Its fruits are medium sized with easily peelable rind. The seeds are soft
with attractive deep purple aril.
RCR 1: Released from UAS Dharward. Fruit is red colour with soft arils.
DHOLKA:Grown in Gujarat arils are pink red in colour.
JODHPUR RED:Grown in rajasthan, rind is yellowish pink colour with whitish pink
red arils.

27. Arakta : it is also a selection from open pollinated population of a
cross between Ganesh and Russian variety.
Bhagwa:(kesar/shendria/astagandha) (MPKV Rahuri). It is selection
from the hybrid population. this is tolerant to fruit cracking, blood
red aril colour, good shelf life (15-20days).
Solapur Lal: (Ganesh x Nana)x Daru A biofortified hybrid

29. MRIDULA

33.  Long juvenility period of some species.
 Frequent inter and intra-species incompatibility.
 High heterozygosity, sterility and
 The presence of specific traits only in wild species.
BREEDING PROBLEMS IN POMEGRANATE

34. BREEDING OBJECTIVES
 To develop suitable types which produce small soft seeds with
attractive red aril.
 To develop easily manageable upright growth habit of the tree.
 To develop thornlessness, a desirable character as it helps in cultural
management of the tree.
 To develop varieties resistant to blight, fruit borer and fruit rot

35.  To develop varieties free from fruit cracking & aril blackening.
 Identification and development of suitable varieties for cold arid
region.
 Varieties with longer storage life.

36. INHERITANCE PATTERN
 Rind weight, acidity percentage, fruit weight, fruit yield /tree,
number of fruits/tree, high heritability and genetic advances which
enable us to go fo direct selection based on phenotypic performance.

37. Introduction
 Wonderful from the USA, Mohammed Ali, A Post Sephid Sirin from
Iran and Rannyij series, Chereny, Gulsha Red, JG-1-8-7 from USSR
and few cultivars from Tunisia have been introduced having soft
seeded, dark red grained types, from this again secondary selection
can be made based on adaptability and stability
BREEDING METHODS

38. Clonal selection:
 G-137- superior clonal selection from Ganesh
 Yercaud-1-clonal selction from local type. medium sized fruits,
easily peelable rind, deep purple aril colour
 Nandiniratan- clonal selction from kesar, bigger fruit size.
 RCR-1 selection from Ganesh (UAS Raichur)

39. Seedling selection
 Due to considerable variability and their adaptability to existing
agro-climatic conditions, selection of superior genotypes will be the
best approach to get desirable lines.
 The cultivar GBG-1 is a selection from open pollinated population of
Alandi in 1932
 .Many pomegranate types cultivated in India are of seedling origin.

40.  On the basis of yield and physico-chemical characters of fruits,
number of cultivars have been recommended for commercial
cultivation in different states of India, They are
1. Ganesh, G-137,P-23,P-26 and Muscat in Maharashtra,
2. Bassein Seedless, Jyothi and Madhugiri in Karnataka,
3. Dholka in Gujarat,
4. Jodhpur Red, Jodhpuri White & Jalore Seedless, in Rajasthan.
5. Kabul Red, Vellodu, Yercaud 1, and Co-1 in Tamil Nadu.

41. Hybridization
• Hybridization is done in the morning hours before 11am, the steps
involved are emasculation (removing of anthers) by using forceps.
• Pollination with the pollen of desired male parent.
• Covering with butter paper bag and labelling it fruit requires about
120-130 days for maturity.

42. • Crossed fruit are harvested and seeds are extracted.
• They are sown in plastic trays. Seeds germinate within 10 days of
sowing.
• The seedlings are transplanted to polythene bags and then sown in
main field.

43. Mutation Breeding
• Though useful in creating new variation, needs a large population
to be raised to locate a desirable type, and the majority of the
mutants will be recessive and of little or no use, which makes this
technique less attractive.

44.  At present more than 300 genotypes of pomegranate have been
maintained at different centres like
 NRC on Pomegranate, Solapur. (>300)
 Central Institute of Arid Horticulture, Bikaner
 MPKV Rahuri,
 IIHR Bangalore,
GERMPLASM RESOURCES