Abstract
Pongamia pinnata a potential oil bearing tree could profitably be exploited and promoted as biodiesel for substantive gains in the rural economy. Keeping in view the importance of augmenting germplasm of Pongamia pinnata for evaluation and identification of elite genotypes from potential areas of Kamataka. An exploration trip was under taken to collect, conserve and evaluate potential of Pongamia pinnata germplasm which resulted in acquiring 48 accessions. A data sheet specifically developed for recording passport information has been enlisted. The wide range of variability for seed characters, seedling characters and oil content for different germplasm was observed, among them the accessions from Bagepalli and Choksandra of Kolar and Tumkur districts respectively were found promising with respect to pod, seed, seedling traits and seed oil content. These two germplasm can be further screened for tree improvement traits considering their immense value in yielding biodiesel.
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