Micronutrient Diversity in Foxtail Millet Genotypes under Foothills of Nagaland

Cultivating foxtail millet in India’s NEH region offers considerable potential due to its adaptability to various environments and the production of high-quality grains. Examining the genetic diversity at the micronutrient level can provide valuable insights for breeding programs aiming to develop nutrient-rich foxtail millet varieties suited to local conditions. Employing multivariate analysis techniques is a powerful approach for enhancing crop genetics. This study assessed phenotypic diversity among 30 genotypes using K-means clustering and PCA for micronutrient levels. The analysis identified an optimal population K value of five through the Elbow Method. Clusters were delineated viz., Cluster-1 (33.3% of genotypes), Cluster-2 (6.00%), Cluster-3 (3.00% with the best-performing genotype), Cluster-4 (23.30%), and Cluster-5 (33.3%). Additionally, five principal components with eigen values greater than one were identified collectively explaining most of the variance in quality traits. The t-test revealed 14 significant positive correlations among the assessed quality traits. Furthermore, UPGMA-based dendrogram analysis categorized the 30 genotypes into five clusters based on ten micronutrient traits.