Characterisation and heritability of physical and biochemical traits in mango (Mangifera indica)

Characterising the quality of mango genotypes is a crucial step in selecting varieties with desirable traits that can expand the range of possibilities for creating new cultivars. The present study was carried out during 2020–2022 at ICAR-Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh with the aim of characterisation and heritability of physical and biochemical traits in mango (Mangifera indica L.). The study involved 14 mango hybrids and their seven parents. The results revealed that high genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation were recorded for traits, viz. total flavonoid (49.37, 49.84), pulp weight (42.84, 23.04), fruit weight (31.72, 34.68), stone weight (28.87, 29.25), peel weight (23.81, 24.05) while moderate PCV and GCV were obtained for traits like stone thickness (17.76, 21.57) and stone length (17.07, 19.88). High broad-sense heritability estimates were obtained for most biochemical traits (e.g. total flavonoid: 98.1%, total phenol: 97.5%, total carotenoid: 96.9%, titratable acidity: 95.5%) and physical parameters (e.g. peel weight: 98.0%, stone weight: 97.4%), suggesting that environmental factors had little impact on phenotypic variation for these traits. Significant differences in physical and biochemical traits were recorded among mango hybrids and their parents. The first five principal components collectively accounted for 82.6% of the total variation in mango genotypes for different traits, viz. larger fruit size, higher pulp content, biochemical profiles, stone-related traits, levels of total soluble solids and nutraceutical contents.