Multivariate Analysis for Genetic Diversity Estimation in Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera gaertn.) Genotypes

Background: Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) is a perennial rhizomatous aquatic plant naturally growing in India from Kashmir to Kanyakumari with enormous phenotypic diversity in shape, size and colour. It serves as a gene pool for breeding new, improved cultivars; nevertheless, plants’ natural habitat is disappearing daily due to rapid urbanization driven by population growth. Therefore, the current study was formulated to estimate the genetic diversity for upcoming breeding initiatives and further conservation of available germplasm of lotus. Methods: In the current study, in-situ morphological observations were recorded from thirty-three lotus genotypes between 2022 and 2023, from different locations of Bihar (India). Morphological data on 21 quantitative traits were recorded from selected natural lotus growing site with five replications. Result: Based on principal component analysis, six principal components were identified, which accounted for 88.97% of total genetic variation. In D2 analysis, genotypes were categorized into six different clusters. Cluster II consisted of the maximum number of genotypes (23) followed by cluster I (4). The highest intra-cluster distance was recorded for cluster II (184.40), while the inter-cluster distance was highest between cluster VI and III (5098.07). The study highlights the enormous genetic diversity among the genotypes of lotus and generates information about suitable breeding material(s) for future crop improvement programs. The genotypes from distant clusters may serve as potential genetic material for further selection or a superior heterotic combination for lotus breeding.