Floral Polychromatism and Female Fitness in Hermaphrodites of Garcinia gummi-gutta (L.) Roxb.

Abstract

Garcinia gummi-gutta (L.) Roxb. is a tropical tree crop widely gaining attention due to the plenteousness of hydroxycitric acid (HCA), known for its anti-obesity and appetite-reducing activity. The declining male population, coupled with sexual complexity and floral diversity in fruit bearer, are challenging for natural pollination and hence require conservation of the germplasm. The investigation in this study focused on reproductive characterization, resource allocation, reproductive success, and male functionality could better explain the existing sexual system and its mode of reproduction. Great diversity in floral color of G. gummi-gutta specimens ranging from sulphur-yellow to crimson red in hermaphrodite compared to yellow-shaded male flowers was noticed in South Western Ghats. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant variations in floral quantitative characters across the sexual forms. However, no direct association was evident with reproductive success explicitly across male and hermaphrodite flowers. The Student’s t-test among hermaphrodite and male sex morphs unveiled a significant mean difference in pollen germination, and pollination was further defined with correlation analysis. The negative association of pollen germination with the female trait, viz., seed production, shows a trade-off to female reproductive fitness in hermaphrodite flowers. The androdiecious nature of the species is agreed upon the presence of fertile pollen grains by the hermaphrodite trees, and the report is the first of our knowledge.