J. Agric. Res. 2018, 56(4) Selection and evaluation of differenct strains of pomegranate 247 J Agric. Res., 2018, Vol. 56(4):247-252 www.jar.com.pk Agriculture Department Government of Punjab COLLECTION, EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF DIFFERENT STRAINS OF POMEGRANATE IN THE PUNJAB Malik Moshin Abbas * 1 , Sahar Rashid 2 , Hira Faiz 3 , Muhammad Ashfaq 4 and Saeed Ahmad 5 HORTICULTURE ABSTRACT Performance of different strains of Pomegranate (PS-1, PS-2, PS-3, PS-4, PS-5, PS-6, PS-7 and PS-8) selected from the different areas of the Punjab was evaluated at Horticultural Research Institute, AARI, Faisalabad, Pakistan during the year 2014 to 2017. Fruit physio-chemical parameters i.e. fruit size, fruit weight, aril size, aril weight, peel thickness, peel weight, total no of seeds, weight of seeds, total soluble solids and yield as well as organoleptic attributes were studied. The results indicate that pomegranate Selection-6 exhibited signifcantly higher fruit size (6031.7 mm 2 ) and fruit weight (269 g). The lowest peel thickness (2.40 mm) and minimum peel weight (50.80 g) was recorded in PS-4. Pomegranate selection-3 depicted maximum TSS (15.32%) and highest yield (60.4 kg). Highest aril size was found inselection-8 (77.9 mm 2 ). Maximum number of seeds (817.0) were exhibited in selection-5 while, highest weight of seeds (387.6 g) was noted in selection-2. Additionally, organoleptic attributes such as taste (8.2) and favor (8.8) remained higher in pomegranate selection-3 while, maximum score for color of fruit (8.6) and color of aril (8.2) was obtained in fruits harvested from selection-5. It is concluded that PS-3 seemed to be best cultivated strain with good quality fruit and high yield. KEYWORDS: Punica granatum; pomegranate; collection; chemico-physical properties; quality; organoleptic attributes; strains; Pakistan. 1 Horticulturist, 2, 3 Assistant Research Offcer, 4 Retd. Director, Horticultural Research Institute, AARI, Faisalabad, 5 Associate Professor, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. *Corresponding author e-mail: malikmohsin144@gmail.com Article received on: 08/12/2017 Accepted for publication: 10/12/2018 INTRODUCTION Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is an ancient plant of Punicaceae family and valued for its favorsome fruit and as a decorative plant for its alluring bright color fowers. Pomegranate is native to South-west Asia, possibly Iran and some adjacent countries and extensively grown in India, Spain, Iran, USA, Afghanistan and Egypt. Being adoptable in variety of soil and climatic conditions, its cultivation was started in countries like Israel, Burma, China, Palestine and Pakistan (Sing, 2000). In Pakistan, it is grown mainly in areas of Lorelai, Qallat, Multan, Bahawalpur, Liaqatpur, Dera Ismael Khan and Muzaffargarh on 9007 hectares with 40125 tonnes production (GoP, 2015). The species is mainly subtropical to mild-temperate and naturally adaptable to areas with hot summers and cool winters. It can endure temperature upto 45-48◦C with dry hot winds while harshly injured by temperature below -18ºC (Levin, 1995). As pomegranate relish heat and fourish in arid and semi-arid areas, it requires regular irrigation throughout dry season to obtain optimum yield and good quality fruit (Levin, 2006). Pomegranate produces best in full sun. Bark injury due to sunburn or freezing may be minimized by painting trunks white to diminish temperature fuctuation during warm days and cold nights. Generally, it is propagated through cuttings as seedlings do not produce true to type plants (Patil et al., 2002). Current scientifc verdicts corroborate traditional use of pomegranates as a medical remedy. Pomegranate fowers, fruit, leaves, and bark contain bioactive phytochemicals that are antimicrobial and act against infectious diseases like cancer, diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis (Holland et al., 2009). The juice has cooling effect and admired for its medicinal properties primarily for leprosy patients. The sweet type of pomegranates is supposed to be slightly laxative, whereas, the fewer sweet type is thought to be best in cardiac ache and stomach infammation (Anon, 1998). Now-a-days there is increasing interest of growing pomegranate as it considered a useful product of countless benefts in human diet. Regardless of its potential in world market, it is one of the few fruits that are still not evaluated. In order to drive this medicinal and proftable fruit to commercialization, technical knowledge regarding production needs to be developed. Selection of appropriate cultivars for a certain climatic condition is prerequisite for successful cultivation of any crop. Depending on the locations or agro-climatic conditions , cultivar performance can be varied. In Pakistan , study on varietal evaluation of pomegranate is scanty and very little or no systematic endeavor has been made for this purpose. Hence the current study was conducted with the aim to assess performance of quality characters of different strains of pomegranate being cultivated in Punjab.