Intervarietal morphological variability in bael (Aegle marmelos) under rainfed semi-arid hot ecosystem of western India

A total of 12 varieties of bael (Aegle marmelos Correa.) were established through in-situ patch budding under field conditions in July 2003, and stem growth pattern and leaf morphology were studied during 2011 and 2012. The results revealed that all varieties showed considerable morphological variations in qualitative and quantitative morphological characters under rainfed condition in western India. Central, right and left lateral leaflets showed notable variations in leaf length, leaf width, petiole length and petiolule length. The intermodal distance were compared among varieties. Similarly, qualitative morphological characters in terms of leaf shape, leaf base, leaf apex and leaf margin exhibited notable variability. The characterization in a variety based on stem growth and morphological characters of leaf and bark, most of the varieties can easily be identified even in absence of fruits.