Unveiling Genetic Diversity in Grain Amaranth through K-Means Clustering and Principal Component Analysis

Abstract

Grain amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is a highly versatile and nutrient-dense pseudo-cereal that has gained increasing importance in global food systems. Developing diverse varieties and hybrids of grain amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is essential for harnessing its full potential as a climate-resilient and nutritionally rich crop. Germplasm studies provide a comprehensive understanding of the genetic diversity within amaranth, facilitating the breeding of improved cultivars that combine desirable traits such as higher yield, enhanced nutritional content, and increased tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Varietal development and hybridization can optimize characteristics like seed size, growth habit, and adaptability, making amaranth more suitable for a range of agroecological zones. In this direction present study conducted by evaluating 180 grain amaranth germplasm accessions for yield and contributing factors during the summer 2024 at the ICAR-IISS Regional Station in Bengaluru adjacent to NSP. Genetic distances among 180-grain amaranth germplasm accessions were determined using K-means clustering, resulting in 06 distinct groupings. Cluster V comprised of more number of accessions (48) and the least number of accessions in cluster VI (15). As per PCA, eight eigen values explains the total variance; among which PC1 explained maximum variance 82.06% followed by PC2, PC3, PC4, PC5, PC6, PC7 and PC8  explained 8.87%, 5.39%, 1.63%, 1.02%, 0.51%, 0.45% and 0.07 % respectively.