Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has been awarded a research project worth Rs 4 crore by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, to advance biotechnology-driven precision and predictive breeding in guava. The five-year project will focus on enhancing key traits such as coloured fruit skin and flesh, reduced seed count and hardness, improved shelf life, and increased sweetness, all aimed at boosting the commercial value of guava.
Known as the “apple of the tropics,” guava is prized for its high nutraceutical content. Leveraging its extensive germplasm collection, PAU will undertake the development of a pangenome of Indian-origin guava varieties and a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) array to accelerate predictive breeding.
The project, titled “Pangenomics and SNP array development for mapping genetic factors controlling nutraceutical and processing traits in guava (Psidium guajava L.),” will work towards improving the Allahabad Safeda genome and creating elite cultivars rich in anthocyanins, with soft seeds, enhanced sweetness, and extended shelf life.
Research is being led by a team of ten scientists from PAU. Dr Amandeep Mittal is serving as Project Co-ordinator and Principal Investigator-I, while Dr Naresh Kumar Arora is Principal Investigator-II.
The team also includes Co-Principal Investigators Dr Manav Indra Singh Gill, Dr Parveen Chhuneja, Dr Inderjit Singh Yadav, Dr Rajbir Singh Boora, Dr Rimaljeet Kaur, Dr Kirandeep Kaur Kang, Dr Pawan Kumar Malhotra, and Dr Daljinder Singh.
The team highlighted that the use of Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) in evaluating progeny generated through hybridization will significantly reduce the input cost, time, and space needed to develop improved guava varieties. This approach is expected to address key challenges faced by farmers and fruit processors.
PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal congratulated the team on this achievement. Director of Research Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt and Registrar Dr Rishi Pal Singh encouraged the researchers, while Dr Yogesh Vikal, Director of the School of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Dr HS Rattanpal, Head of Fruit Science, applauded their exceptional work.
