Integrative multivariate and clustering analysis of field pea in late sown condition

Field pea is an important rabi crop in India. This study evaluated 10 parent varieties and 45 half diallel crosses to understand their genetic diversity under late-sown conditions. Eleven different traits were measured and the D2 Mahalanobis clustering method was employed to analyse the data, revealing that the germplasm could be grouped into six distinct clusters. The largest genetic differences were observed between clusters IV and V. Analysis of traits revealed significant variations among the clusters, with some genotypes from clusters IV and V showing promise for breeding purposes. Principal component analysis identified four key components that explained 83.61 % of the total variation. The highest variation was explained by PC1 (39.43 %) with an eigen value of 4.3, highlighting important traits for future crop improvement efforts.