Racial Hybridization and Inbreeding Depression in Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don.

Aim of the study: This study aims to establish the inter-racial hybridization in Cedrus deodara from Garhwal Himalaya, India. Material and methods: Racial hybridization was conducted successfully in Cedrus deodara taking pollen (male gamete) from three different races/populations, i.e. Dhanoulti, Pauri and Harsil (locality-specific) at Dandachali population where female/ovulate cones were selected as mother trees. Main results: The results revealed that cone and seed set percentages in the selected races varied from 58.8 to 68.2 % and 79.0 - 86.2 %, respectively. Manual pollination resulted 0.972 and 0.953 inbreeding depression for cone and seed set, respectively. Highlights: C. deodara proclaimed high inbreeding depression at embryonic stage also manifests high compatibility for developing hybrids in its natural range of growth in Himalaya.