DUS Descriptors for Registration of Neem (Azadirachta indica A.Juss.) for Varietal Protection

Under PPV&FRA project, documentation activities were emphasized towards development of DUS descriptors and draft guidelines in neem to encourage farmers, breeders, seed industries and scientific societies in plant varietal registration and protect from infringement. An exploration was organized in different naturalized population of neem in Tamil Nadu, primarily to collect and develop potential descriptors of Azadirachta indica resulted in obtaining 15 descriptors and 43 descriptor states of neem. Eleven descriptors were visually assessed viz., tree habit, leaflet, petal, fruit and seed shape, leaflet margin, seed tip, presence of neck, shoulder and fruit cavity and eight were measurable descriptors viz., length and width of leaflet, length of petiole and rachis, length and width of fruit and seed. The characteristics of descriptors and descriptor states, range of variability, type of assessment for crown, stem, leaf, inflorescence, fruit and seed characters and promising accessions identified were highlighted. The result showed that significant variation in qualitative, quantitative and pseudo-qualitative traits and provides basis for further research in DUS testing of neem.