Indian Journal of Horticulture

Pecan is one of the most important deciduous horticultural nut crops and valued for its high calorificvalue. It is superior to walnut in quality (flavour, 65–70% fats, 8–10% proteins, high in phosphorous, potassiumand vitamins A, C, E and B complex) and thrives best in the area experiencing somewhat warmer climate. Thepresent study was carried out during 2015–17 in pecan nut growing areas of Jammu division to assess theextent of genetic divergence and select the superior genotypes of seedling origin pecan nut. Nut weight, kernelweight, nut length, nut width (lateral), nut width (ventral) and shell thickness varied from 3.56–8.63 g, 2.06–6.95g, 20.03–52.40 mm, 15.50–28.40 mm, 15.54–33.40 mm and 0.30–1.89 mm, respectively. Five out of 60 genotypeswere selected on the basis of higher and desired nut and kernel characteristics, which can be further used fortrait-specific breeding programmes.