Abstract
Okra is a minor crop that has not gained research attention in Ethiopia. Characterization of such underutilized crops has important implications for their utilization. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the genetic diversity of okra genotypes in Ethiopia using agromorphological and biochemical markers. Thirty-six okra genotypes were evaluated for 29 agromorphological and biochemical traits. The results of the analysis of variance showed significant differences among genotypes for most of the traits, except for the number of flower epicalyx and fruit diameter. Results of the principal component analysis indicated that the first eight principal component axes accounted for 3.83 to 30.54% and 82.44% of the total variability. Genetic distances estimated by Euclidean distances from 27 traits ranged from 3.55 to 14.49. The 36 genotypes were grouped into four distinct clusters from the Euclidean distance matrix using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA). The first cluster contained 24 (66.66%) genotypes, and the second cluster contained 10 (27.77%) of the genotypes. This study showed the presence of considerable genetic variation among the genotypes for most of the traits, including fruit yield, seed yield, and nutrient content of seeds, indicating the possibility of using these genotypes to develop okra varieties with high fruit-yielding and good nutritional content.
Highlights
Today, the world’s food supply is based on a small number of crop species, mostly major cereals leaving an abundance of genetic resources and potentially beneficial traits neglected [1]
Okra is among the most underutilized crops cultivated in the southwestern and western parts of Ethiopia [3–5]. e characterization of okra genotypes existing in the country would contribute to developing varieties that could thrive in extreme climatic conditions and would allow further utilization of the crop for enhancing food security
The sample was ashed at 550°C until the ashing was complete, cooled in a desiccator, and weighed again (m3). e total crude fiber was expressed in percentages as follows: Fiber (%) m2 − m3 ∗ 100, (3) m1 where m1 is a mass of sample (g), m2 is mass of sample with crucible before ashing (g), and m3 is mass of sample with crucible after ashing (g)
Summary
The world’s food supply is based on a small number of crop species, mostly major cereals (wheat, rice, and maize) leaving an abundance of genetic resources and potentially beneficial traits neglected [1]. In the face of climate change, utilizing the vast pool of minor and underutilized crop species would provide a more varied agricultural system and food sources, ensuring food and nutrition security problems. Climate change may increase the relevance of plant species that were previously underutilized or thought to be of minor importance [1]. E characterization of okra genotypes existing in the country would contribute to developing varieties that could thrive in extreme climatic conditions and would allow further utilization of the crop for enhancing food security. Is study aimed to assess the phenotypic and biochemical diversity of Ethiopian landrace okra genotypes along with exotic commercial varieties using multivariate analysis for further utilization of the crop and contribute to ensuring food security and alleviating malnutrition Regardless of the dataset (morphological, biochemical, or molecular marker data), multivariate analytical procedures that simultaneously make several measurements on each individual under examination are frequently utilized in genetic diversity studies [10]. is study aimed to assess the phenotypic and biochemical diversity of Ethiopian landrace okra genotypes along with exotic commercial varieties using multivariate analysis for further utilization of the crop and contribute to ensuring food security and alleviating malnutrition
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