Fuente: PubMed "medicinal and aromatic plants" Mol Biol Rep. 2026 Jun 6;53(1):904. doi: 10.1007/s11033-026-12087-0.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Limited genetic and genomic resources in citronella necessitate the use of novel breeding methods to develop advanced breeding material that taps into genetic variability.OBJECTIVE: Identify superior and highly variable half sibs besides identifying their pollen donors, to be used in citronella breeding programs.METHODS: In this study, we used four commercial citronella cultivars (CIM-Bio-13, CIM-Jeeva, Medini and Jal Pallavi) as parents in a polycross breeding scheme. This resulted in 60 half-sib progenies. We evaluated herb yield, essential oil content and various biochemical components across two harvests.RESULTS: From this evaluation, eleven superior half-sibs were identified. Notably, half-sib progeny B25 6-10 consistently outperformed others and showed the greatest divergence in both harvests. Principal component analysis accounted for 60-70% of observed variability with two components, highlighting the diversity within the progenies. SSR markers confirmed the highest amplification from Cymbopogon flexuous (54.26%), followed by C. winterianus (42.85%) and C. citratus (41.17%). Genetic diversity metrics confirmed moderate polymorphism and marker informativeness. SSR-based UPGMA clustering corroborated morphological differentiation, and unique pollen donors were identified for 5 of 11 half-sib progenies.CONCLUSION: The identified variable progenies are valuable resources for further genetic studies and potential population improvement. Marker-based paternity results demonstrate the value of this approach for precise selection in citronella breeding.PMID:42250133 | DOI:10.1007/s11033-026-12087-0