Assessment of the variations in selected industrially desirable morphological and biochemical traits of eleven Citrus species in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The fruits with nutraceutical and medicinal values are having a greater significance in modern food industry. Out of many fruit tree bearing genera, the genus Citrus is extremely important in this regard. It contains well known species such as orange, lime, mandarin, lemon and many other underutilized species. The nutritive value of Citrus is given by many bioactive compounds present in the fruits such as alkaloids, tannins, phenols and saponins. In Sri Lanka, the available Citrus germplasm is not characterized in detail. Especially underutilized Citrus species are yet to receive a proper taxonomic identity. Therefore in the present study we report some of the important morphological and bio..