Biodiversity in Indigenous Germplasm of Pyrus from Pakistan Based on Phenotypical and Morphological Traits

A comprehensive analysis of various horticulturally important morphological traits of sixty pear accessions located in five districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan) was carried out. Several qualitative and quantitative traits were investigated in situ and after the harvesting of leaf and fruit samples. The rich diversity was observed for qualitative traits (i. e. growth habit, blooming time, intensity of flowering, fruit setting, ripening time, productivity, and fruit shape and color) among pear accessions. As for the quantitative traits, significant variation was observed for leaf area (8.96-27.17 cm(2)), flowering duration (11-24 days), fruit weight (68.1-322.3 g), average fruit length (2.68-9.87 cm) and average fruit width (1.82-8.12 cm) between pear accessions. Based on qualitative and quantitative data, two dendograms were constructed by using cluster analysis which separated pear accessions into three distinct groups. The cluster analysis showed considerable differences between the accessions for qualitative and quantitative traits. Furthermore, a close association between accessions was noted inside the clusters for qualitative and quantitative traits. The results showed rich diversity and similarity between the pear accessions and needs further assessment at molecular level to elucidate their phylogenetic relationship.