Study of fruit morphometric traits from Syzygium malaccense

Abstract

Syzygium malaccense L. (Myrtaceae) is a fruit bearing tree, locally known as “Jambe hannu” (Kannada) and commonly known as Malay apple. In India, the tree is distributed in southern parts reported from Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu states. These trees are grown along the boundaries of horticulture crop plantations or home gardens as a fruit species all along the tropical sites of Western Ghats. The present study was aimed to understand the variation in morphological traits of S. malaccense growth, fruit and seed parameters from 25 sites in Uttara Kannada district. The study measured tree height, girth at breast height (GBH), fruit length, width, weight, shape, and colour, as well as seed length, width, weight, and number of seeds per fruit. A total of 750 fruits from 50 trees were sampled. Tree heights ranged from 6 to 22 meters and GBH varied between 61 to 128 cm, with significant differences between sites. Fruit length ranged from 41.39 mm to 63.40 mm and fruit weight from 31.73 g to 74.20 g, showing substantial variability. Three fruit shapes were identified, viz., pyriform (96.53%), oblong (2.53%) and round (0.93%). The predominant fruit colour was white striped crimson (56.40%), followed by reddish pink (31.47%) and white (12.13%). Seed length varied between 7.30 mm to 21.32 mm, while seed weight ranged from 1.63 g to 7.33 g. The study observed single-seeded or seedless fruits in few sites. These morphological variations highlight significant diversity in S. malaccense. The results underscore the species potential for addressing nutritional security and enhancing biodiversity in tropical regions.