Multivariate assessment of phenotypic diversity in chilli accessions using fruit morphological traits

Abstract:

The genus Capsicum, which is a member of the Solanaceae family, is a commercially significant group of crops that are grown and show an impressive genetic and morphological diversity in fruit size, shape, color, and texture. In this study, which was carried out in 2022-23, sixty-five chilli accessions were characterized for twenty-eight fruit-related traits as per distinctiveness, uniformity and stability descriptors. There was significant divergence between accessions in such traits as fruit curvature, texture, calyx cover, pericarp thickness, intensity of fruit color during ripening, cross-section corrugation, pericarp sinuation, days to 50 percent ripening, calyx constriction, pedicel attachment, color transition, fruit length, and diameter as measured by Shannon-Weaver diversity indices. Ward hierarchical clustering divided the accessions into two major lineages that further sub grouped into four subgroups consisting of 8, 10, 8 and 39 accessions each. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the total phenotypic variation was accounted by the first eight principal components which was 74.22%. Accessions such as IHR4668, IHR4689, IHR4679, IHR4677, IHR4565, IHR4603, IHR4650, IHR4667, IHR3455, IHR4658, IHR3024, IHR4672, IHR4447, IHR3315, and IHR4674 were highly diverse and may be useful as parents in hybridization programmes. Combining Shannon–Weaver indices, clustering and PCA provided a comprehensive assessment of fruit-traits diversity.

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