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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Studies on genetic diversity of guava (Psidium guajava L.) germplasm and controlled hybridisation

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13685
Submitted
15 January 2026
Published
29-06-2026 — Updated on 01-07-2026
Versions

Abstract

Guava (Psidium guajava L.), an important fruit crop, contains high amounts of vitamins A, B1, B2 and C. A major challenge in guava breeding is the variation in fruit characters caused by environmental influences. The primary objectives of guava breeding include improving fruit size, enhancing fruit and pulp colour, reducing seed content, extending storage life, and developing cultivars suitable for both fresh consumption and processing. The guava germplasm maintained at the College of Horticulture and Forestry, Neri, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India offers considerable scope for characterisation, evaluation and utilisation in developing genetically diverse populations for varietal improvement. Therefore, to initiate systematic evaluation and breeding work in guava, the present study was conducted during 2022–23 and 2023–24 to characterise nineteen guava genotypes for various morphological traits, undertake hybridisation studies, and assess genetic diversity using DNA markers. Selected guava cultivars were crossed using Shweta, Allahabad Safeda, CISH G-14, Arka Amulya, Arka Poorna and CISH G-6 as female parents, while Lalit, Arka Rashmi, Arka Kiran, Hisar Surkha and Local Selection-2 served as male parents. Among the hybrids, H3 (CISH G-14 × Arka Kiran) recorded the highest fruit set percentage (70.36 %), whereas H5 (Arka Poorna × Hisar Surkha) recorded the lowest (46.03 %). Among the quantitative fruit characters, the maximum fruit length was observed in Shweta × Arka Kiran (7.06 cm), the maximum fruit width in Shweta × Local Selection-2 (7.27 cm), the highest total soluble solids (TSS) in Shweta × Local Selection-2 (9 °Brix), and the greatest seed hardness in CISH G-6 × Lalit (13.40 kg cm-2). Of the 29 markers evaluated for hybridity confirmation, three markers—mPgCIR255, mPgCIR246 and mPgCIR14—were effective in confirming hybridity.

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