Multivariate Analysis and its Application for Screening Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] Landraces

Abstract

Background: Mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek] is known as one of the important crop of the Vigna group. In order to determine morphological traits of mungbean, multivariate analysis will provide important advantages in the selection phase of future breeding programs. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to determine and classify these traits. Multivariate analysis, that includes principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA), is considered the best tool for selecting promising genotypes in the future breeding programs. Methods: Eighteen landraces and two species were used to classify morphological traits in this study. Nine different morphological traits were observed during the research period. These are; days to 50% flowering (DFT), plant height (PH), branches per plant (BPP), clusters per plant (CPP), number of pods per cluster (PPC), seed yield per plot (SYPP), biomass yield per plot (BYPP), harvest index (HI), 1000 seed weight (SW). Result: Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a high level of variation among the genotypes. Therefore, high variability was observed in DFT (36-59 day), PH (39-76 cm), BPP (3-7), CPP (4-21), SYPP (231-824 g), BYPP (3300-10300 g), HI (6.77-11.25%) and 1000 SW (19.95-50.50 g). According to cluster analysis, landraces with the least genetic diversity distance between them in terms of morphological traits examined were determined as 2 and 3.