The conducted study occurred on 24 interspecific citrus hybrids derived from pummelo (female parent) crosses with tangerine and sweet orange (male parents). The hybrids obtained assessments for 26 qualitative and 15 quantitative traits related to tree, leaf, fruit, and seed characteristics. Among the parental genotypes, Mosambi and Tangerine exhibited polyembryony, while pummelo was monoembryonic. Most of the hybrids (95.83%) were monoembryonic, except SCSH 9-14. Among different parents, PS-13 had the heaviest fruit (619.28 g) and Tangerine had the lightest (111.85 g). Fruit weight of hybrids ranged from 108.72 g (SCSH 2-3) to 1047.42 g (SCSH 3-10). Though a large variation emerged among the hybrids for different traits, including leaf, tree, seed, and fruit characters, SCSH 7-8 and SCSH 13-6 were appropriate for fruit weight, as well as fewer seeds than better parents. Principal component analysis identified five traits—leaf lamina length, width, their ratio, pulp thickness, and fruit axis diameter—explaining 56.10% of the total variation. High heritability and genetic advance achieved recordings for fruit weight, fruit length, pulp thickness, leaf lamina dimensions, and seed count. These traits are promising for selection in citrus breeding programs targeting improved fruit quality and yield potential.
Interspecific citrus hybrids, heritability, qualitative traits, quantitative traits, PCA
Peel color mainly transferred from pummelo, and traits like fruit weight, fruit length, pulp thickness, leaf lamina dimensions, and seed count demonstrated high heritability.