Evaluation of Genetic Diversity in Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) Germplasm Through D² Cluster Analysis and PCA

Linseed is used as an oilseed and fiber crop and is extremely rich in high Omga-3 fatty acid content. The main aim of breeders in crop improvement programs is to develop high-yielding crop varieties. For this, we need to select diverse high-yielding genotypes to produce the heterotic cross combinations. This experiment aims to evaluate the genetic diversity among linseed germplasm for yield-related traits.

In this experiment, a total of 75 diverse linseed genotypes (Indigenous and three exotic) along with ten checks were investigated during Rabi-2019-20 in randomized block design using three replications at Oilseeds Research Farm, Kalyanpur, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh). Observations were recorded on ten yield-related traits. Clustering of genotypes by using the D² cluster of Tocher’s method and Principal component analysis.

Cluster analysis deciphered 75 genotypes into 16 distinct groups, with the highest number of individuals observed in cluster II. The greater average was recorded within clusters IV (14.34), II (13.20), XI (12.78) and I (6.31) order, whereas clusters between I and XI recorded the high between cluster distance. The results indicated that a total of 57.58% of variation was contributed by the first three principal components (PCA).