Principal component analysis of variation among the induced mutants of rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Dry bold unhusked seeds of paddy variety ADT (R) 47 were mutagenized with gamma rays (150, 200, 250, 300 and 350 gy) and with EMS (80, 100, 120, 140 and 160 mM). The M₄ generation comprising 652 mutants derived through pedigree selection was raised during rabi 2014. In this study, the first three components in the PCA analysis contributed 75.9% of the variability among the mutant lines evaluated for different quantitative traits. Other PCs (3–7) had eigen values less than 1. Among the mutant lines viz., 441 (300-96-1), 456 (300-124-1), 457 (300-126-1), 454 (300-122-1), 395 (300-49-1), 404 (300-54-3), 412 (300-62-1), 452 (300-113-1), 396 (300-50-1), 400 (300-53-2) and 402 (300-54-1) showed extremely high positive PC 1 scores reflecting highest contribution from plant height, panicle length, 100-grain weight and single plant yield. Hence, the high yielding genotypes those attained high positive PC 1 score can be effectively used in the hybridization programme to produce early genotype with well exerted panicle and maximum yield.