Selection of Promising Indigenous Guava Germplasm from Bauphal Upazila of Patuakhali District of Bangladesh

Abstract

A comprehensive evaluation of indigenous guava cultivars (Psidium guajava L.), including local accessions LAc-1, LAc-2, LAc-3, and LAc-4, was conducted to assess sensory, morphological, and biochemical attributes, aiming to identify promising genotype suitable for the Patuakhali district of Bangladesh. Utilizing sensory evaluations by an expert panel, the best local accession was chosen for a comparative analysis alongside two commercial check varieties, Kazi peyara (KAc) and Thai peyara (TAc), focusing on floral behavior, fruit characteristics, and sensory properties. Subsequently, the selected promising genotype underwent biochemical assessments at various maturity stages. The study was conducted in two main phases: the field study, which adhered to a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), and the biochemical analyses (laboratory study), which followed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). All the local accessions displayed noteworthy variations in their assessed quality attributes. Among the examined germplasms (LAc-1, LAc-2, LAc-3, and LAc-4), LAc-1 demonstrated the highest sensory scores of 8.07, 8.27, 8.73, 7.93, 7.87, 8.80 and 8.08 in pulp color, flavor, sweetness, fiberness, texture, crispiness, and overall acceptability, respectively. In the comparison of the indigenous accession LAc-1 with commercial varieties KAc and TAc, LAc-1 exhibited significantly higher flower production (72.25 m-2), a shorter time to fruit setting (34.0 days), and a lower number of fruit drops (11.75 m-2) compared to the other cultivars. Genotype LAc-1 produced significantly firmer fruit (2.73 N), fewer seeded fruits (263.50 per fruit), and the lowest seed weight (2.93 g per fruit). On the other hand, TAc exhibited the highest fruit weight (403.75 g), fruit length (9.75 cm), and fruit diameter (27.26 cm). The highest seed weight per fruit (6.08) was recorded in KAc. In terms of sensory evaluation, LAc-1 showed significantly higher scores of 8.16, 6.93, 8.10, 8.65, 6.81, 6.65, 8.60 and 7.58 in the surface color of ripe fruit, color, flavor, sweetness, fiberness, texture, crispiness, and overall acceptability respectively, compared to KAc and TAc. The biochemical properties of accession LAc-1 were investigated at various maturity stages, revealing that total soluble solids (10.36%) and total anthocyanin content (0.36 mg/100 g FW) were highest in maturity stage IV. In comparison of titratable acidity (0.19%), ascorbic acid (46.15 mg/100 g FW), and pH content (6.87) were highest in maturity stage I. Considering sensory attributes, floral behavior, and fruit characteristics, genotype LAc-1 emerged as the preferred choice, with maturity stage IV identified as the optimal harvest stage, given its elevated antioxidant content. The study results will provide valuable insights for farmers, researchers, consumers, and other stakeholders to maximize the potential of indigenous guava cultivars.