Variability in quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) population from Baramulla district of Kashmir valley

The quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill) has a long history of cultivation in the Middle East where it is native and throughout the Mediterranean region. Commercial production seems to be mostly in eastern Europe and Asia minor. Now a days, it is extended to all over the world, above all in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Algeria, Tunis, Countries of southern Europe, France and Portugal. In India, quince is mostly grown in Jammu and Kashmir and some parts of Himachal Pradesh most frequently in backyards and fence corners. Traditionally, quince after harvest is locally marketed and is used for culinary purposes in the form of cooked delicacy dish in "Kashmiri Wazwan". It is utilized for making preserve (murabba), which is known to possess beneficial medicinal properties in Unani medicine. In the Greece, a tea prepared by boiling dry seeds of quince in water is given in cholecystitis in humans. The kernel oil is used for massage. In Jammu and Kashmir, the existing variability in quince germplasm has not been exploited so far, as a result not a single known variety is available for commercial cultivation. Fruit characteristics like fruit weight, TSS, acidity, ascorbic acid and pectin are most important parameters in addition to yield for recommending a cultivar for commercial cultivation. In order to select superior genotypes for future breeding programme of quince, the extent of variability with respect to yield and fruit quality is indispensable. Hence, intensive survey of Baramulla district were surveyed for selecting better genotype having good bearing capacity with high pectin content.