Integrative Assessment of Genetic Diversity, Population Structure, and Agronomic Trait Variation in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Using Principal Component and Cluster Analyses
Keywords:
breeding, PCA, Cluster analysis, genotypes, heritabilityAbstract
Genetic diversity is essential for broadening the genetic base of wheat breeding and accelerating the development of high-yielding cultivars. In the present study, bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes were evaluated for agronomic, yield, and grain quality traits using analysis of variance, genetic parameter estimation, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis. Significant (P < 0.05) variation was observed among genotypes for all evaluated traits, demonstrating the existence of substantial genetic variability. High heritability estimates for most agronomic and quality traits indicated that these characteristics are predominantly governed by genetic factors and can be effectively improved through selection. Principal component analysis identified five principal components with eigenvalues greater than 1.0, collectively explaining 79.4% of the total phenotypic variation. The first principal component contributed 26.5% of the total variation and was mainly associated with spike length, spikelets per spike, and grains per spike, identifying these traits as the major determinants of genetic divergence. Cluster analysis separated the genotypes into distinct groups with greater inter-cluster than intra-cluster distances, reflecting broad genetic diversity and providing opportunities for selecting genetically divergent parents. Gen-otypes UOS-7, UOS-11, and UOS-2 exhibited superior grain yield potential, whereas Pb-11, Galaxy-13, UOS-3, UOS-12, and UOS-11 showed desirable performance for key yield components, including tillering ability, grain number, and thousand-grain weight. Overall, the integration of genetic parameter analysis with multivariate statistical approaches effectively characterized the available diversity and identified promising pa-rental materials for wheat improvement. These findings provide a valuable foundation for breeding programs aimed at enhancing grain yield, grain quality, and genetic gain in bread wheat.
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