Assessment of Genetic Divergence in Long Day Onion (Allium cepa L.) through Principal Component and Single Linkage Cluster Analysis

To assess the nature and magnitude of genetic diversity in long day onion germplasm by using the principal component analysis and single linkage cluster analysis an experiment was carried out with 34 onion genotypes. High coefficient of variation with wide range in traits indicated an appreciable variability in germplasm. Genotypes were classified into seven principal components having Eigen value > 1, cumulatively accounted for 83.87% of total variability. Principal Component - I contributed for 24.73% of total variation for followed by principal component-II (15.27%). PC-I had high positive loading for bulb weight (0.401), marketable yield (0.338), total bulb yield (0.401) and PC-II had high positive loading for plant height (0.412), PC-III for high T.S.S. (0.276) PC -IV for A grade bulbs (0.436), PC-V for polar diameter of bulbs (0.514), PC-IV negatively loaded with purple blotch (-0.461) and PC-VII for narrow neck thickness (-0 .515). Plotting PC-I aganist PC-II differenciated CITH-O-13, CITH-O-4, CITH-O-22, CITH-O-19, CITH-O-9, CITH-O-6 and CITH-O2 as most divergent genotype.On the basis of single linkage cluster means cluster-I was most importent for average bulb weight, minimum bolters, high marketble bulb percentage high marketable and total bulb yield whereas cluster -II was important for maximum nuber of leaves/plant and minimum neck thicknes. Highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluter II and Cluster-I(873.5% ).Most divergent genotypes with high inter cluter distance could be the most appropriate parents for crop impovement in onion.