Multivariate Analysis of Genetic Diversity in the Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunel) Genotype

Abstract

The current study was conducted to decipher principal component analysis (PCA) among 60 ashwagandha germplasmas and 3-check was evaluated to study the diversity pattern among the collected accessions. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used to perform the experiment. The experiment was posted late kharif-2017 at Rajasthan College of Agriculture, Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur. Data from fifteen morphological traits were recorded and analyzed to find out main components to reveal the diversity among the genotype. The main component analysis (PCA) showed that the first six main components revealed exhibited more than intrinsic values ​​and accounted for 64.57 percent of the total variation, which consisted of 16.32 (PC 1), 11.63 (PC 2), 11, 04 (PC 3), 9.23 (PC 4), 8.65 (PC5) and 7.66 (PC 6). The genotype MPAS-57 along the PCA 1 axis and MPAS along the PCA 2, respectively, indicates that both are negatively linked. PC 1 contributes maximum to the overall variability (16.32). The grades, namely days to 75% maturity, root length, dry plant weight, fresh plant weight, harvest index and 100 seed weights explained the maximum variance in PC 1.