{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,5]],"date-time":"2026-10-05T16:19:40Z","timestamp":1791217180219,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,30]],"date-time":"2022-12-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1672358400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Plants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Pomegranate (Punica granatum) has staminate (male), androgynous (hermaphrodite), and intermediate flower types. Floral characterization is difficult for breeding efficiency across many pomegranate genotypes in Pakistan, which is essential for pomegranate cultivar enhancements. The present research focused on the floral characterization and breeding efficiency of fifteen pomegranate genotypes. Flower sex ratio, floral morphological parameters, i.e., flower length, ovary width, flower notch, flower tip and stigma with style length, and fruit set percentage were examined during the experiment. In terms of sex ratio, male flowers were found to be higher among all genotypes. Due to clear differences in flower length, width, and heterostyly facilitating visual identification of the hermaphrodite flowers, genotype Ternab-2, Kandhari White, and Kandhari Red had higher fruit set (\u226570%) among all cross combinations attempted. Genotype Sava had higher flower length and heterostyly of hermaphrodite flower type, but ovary width was not very distinct, leading to average crossing success (85\u201334%). In conclusion, single or combination of morphological characters can be used for accurate identification of hermaphrodite flowers, which can improve hybrid efficiency and fruit set after artificial cross-pollination.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/plants12010165","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,30]],"date-time":"2022-12-30T03:14:28Z","timestamp":1672370068000},"page":"165","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Floral Characterization of Pomegranate Genotypes to Improve Hybridization Efficiency"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Sufian","family":"Ikram","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8380-3869","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Waqar","family":"Shafqat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Indian River Research and Education Center, Horticultural Sciences Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA"},{"name":"Department of Forestry, College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sami Ur","family":"Rehman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muhammad Ahsan","family":"Qureshi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Horticulture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Safeer ud","family":"Din","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Salman","family":"Ikram","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Horticulture, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan 32200, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0947-0810","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muhammad","family":"Nafees","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muhammad Jafar","family":"Jaskani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"176","DOI":"10.1558\/pome.v7i1.108","article-title":"Review of The Narcissus and the Pomegranate: An Archaeology of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter by Ann Suter","volume":"7","author":"Pike","year":"2007","journal-title":"Pomegranate Int. 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