MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION WITHIN PROGENY AND DEVIATIONS FROM MOTHER PLANT REVEAL THE ALLELE RICHNESS IN Cinnamomum verum GERM PLASM: A CASE STUDY FROM DEIYANDARA, MATARA COLLECTION AT THE EARLY VEGETATIVE STAGE.

Abstract

Protogynous dichogamy in cinnamon leads to cross pollination. Morphological variation among mother plants, progenies and other plants in more than 50 year old population due to possible cross pollination was determined. Cuttings of two mother plants and four seedlings from each mother plant were grown in a nursery. Age independent morphological characters of leaf shape, leaf base and leaf apex were taken. None of the progenies were 100% similar to mother plants. New phenotypes for leaf shape and leaf base were found in progenies. This work indicates contribution of cross pollination for allele richness leading to morphological variation in cinnamon germplasm.