Comparison of foliar photosynthetic pigments in indigenous Himalayan Malus baccata (Shillong) with different apple cultivars

Abstract

In the present investigation, the photosynthetic potential of the wild and cultivated apples was examined. The indigenous Himalayan wild apple Malus baccata (Shillong) showed the highest photosynthetic pigments, viz., chlorophyll a (2.53 mg/g FW), chlorophyll b (0.78 mg/g FW) and total chlorophyll content (3.33 mg/g FW), which was at par with disease resistant apple genotype Liberty. The photosynthetic potential and disease resistance ability of the indigenous Himalayan wild apple M. baccata (Shillong) accessions make them fit for further exploration as commercial rootstock with dwarfing ability besides biotic and abiotic stress tolerance types