Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

Exploring genetic variability, diversity and trait associations in sunnhemp (Crotolaria juncea L.) accessions for yield improvement

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.4737
Submitted
20 August 2024
Published
24-01-2025
Versions

Abstract

Sunnhemp (Crotolaria juncea L.) is an important fibre crop known for its rapid growth and ability to improve soil fertility, making it a vital component of sustainable agriculture. However, to enhance its productivity and meet the increasing demand for high-quality fibre, it is crucial to identify and utilize genetically diverse genotypes with superior yield traits. The present study was conducted at the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, Aduthurai, Tamil Nadu, during the Kharif seasons of 2021 and 2022 to assess genetic variability and character association for yield and its component traits among 67 sunnhemp genotypes. Multivariate analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, were conducted using R software to dissect the phenotypic diversity among the genotypes. The results revealed substantial genetic variability for yield and its associated traits, indicating a promising potential for genetic improvement. Genotypes ADSH 1750, ADSH 1701, ADSH 1736, ADSH 1715, and ADSH 1742 exhibited superior performance in key yield-related traits, making them valuable candidates for future breeding programs focused on developing high-yielding, high-fibre varieties. Cluster analysis delineated four distinct clusters, with Clusters I and IV showing significant divergence and highlighting the presence of unique genetic material. Key plant production traits such as plant height, leaf breadth, basal stem diameter, yield, and number of leaves were the primary contributors to the first two principal components. These findings suggest that direct selection based on these traits could effectively improve biomass yield in future sunnhemp breeding efforts, contributing to the advancement of sustainable fibre crop production.

References

  1. Nareshkumar V, Ganesan NM, Kumar M. Genetic divergence of selected genotypes in Sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.). Electron J Plant Breed. 2018;9(4):1387?95. https://doi.org/10.3382/ejpb.2018.1387
  2. Tripathi MK, Chaudhary B, Sarkar SK, Singh SR, Bhandari HR, Mahapatra BS. Performance of sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) as a summer season (pre-monsoon) crop for fibre. J Agric Sci. 2013;5(3):236. https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v5n3p236
  3. Rajesh O, Raj Kumar V, Shankaraiah P. Antiobesity and hypoglycemic effect of ethanolic extract of Crotalaria juncea in high fat diet induced hyperlipidemic and hyperglycemic rats. Int J Pharm Sci. 2014;6:57-63.
  4. Chaudhary B, Tripathi MK, Bhandari HR, Pandey SK, Meena DR, Prajapati SP. Evaluation of sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) genotypes for high fibre yield. Indian J Agric Sci. 2015;85(6):850-53. https://doi.org/10.5604/00368933.1167163
  5. Adler MJ, Chase CA. Comparison of the allelopathic potential of leguminous summer cover crops: Cowpea, sunnhemp and velvet bean. HortScience. 2007;42(2):289-93. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI.42.2.289
  6. Schomberg HH, Martini NL, Diaz-Perez JC, Phatak SC, Balkcom KS, Bhardwaj HL. Potential for using sunnhemp as a source of biomass and nitrogen for the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions of the southeastern USA. Agron J. 2007;99(6):1448-57. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2007.0081
  7. Bhandari HR, Shivakumar KV, Kar CS, Bera A, Meena JK. Sunnhemp: A climate-smart crop. In: Developing climate resilient grain and forage legumes. Springer Nature; 2022. p. 277-96. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9848-4_13
  8. Singh V, Gupta P, Yadav R. Genetic diversity: A pillar for sustainable crop improvement. Plant Breed Biotechnol. 2023;15(1):78-89. https://doi.org/10.9787/PBB.2023.15.1.78
  9. Anu YS, Singh VK, Bhoyar PI, Sharma V, Rehsawla R, Kumar R. Emerging technologies in plant breeding for fibre crops, cotton and sunnhemp. In: Technologies in plant biotechnology and breeding of field crops. Springer; 2022. p. 151-80. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55572-5_7
  10. Malik SS, Srivastava U. Exploration and collection of genetic diversity in crops. In: Hundred years of plant genetic resources management in India. National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources; 2006. p. 109-32.
  11. Jolliffe IT, Cadima J. Principal component analysis: A review and recent developments. Philos Trans R Soc Lond A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2016;374(2065):20150202. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2015.0202
  12. Akinwale RO, Badu-Apraku B, Fakorede MAB, Vroh-Bi I. Evaluation of genetic diversity of extra-early maturing yellow maize inbreds and hybrid performance in Striga-infested and Striga-free environments. Crop J. 2014;2(6):379-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cj.2014.07.001
  13. Manivannan N. TNAUSTAT Statistical package. Available from: https://sites.google.com/site/tnaustat
  14. Wei T, Simko V, Levy M, Xie Y, Jin Y, Zemla J. Package ‘corrplot’. Statistician. 2017;56(316):24.
  15. Husson F, Josse J, Le S, Mazet J, Husson MF. Package ‘factoMiner’. An R Package. 2016;96:698.
  16. Kassambara A, Mundt F. Package ‘factoextra’. Extract and visualize the results of multivariate data analyses. 2017;76(2). https://doi.org/10.32614/CRAN.package.factoextra
  17. Da Silva AR, da Silva MAR. Package ‘biotools’. Avaliable online at: https://CRAN. R-project. org/package=~ biotools
  18. Sawarkar A, Yumnam S, Patil SG, Mukherjee S. Correlation and path coefficient analysis of yield and its attributing traits in tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius L.). Bioscan. 2014;9(2):883-87.
  19. Kumar AA, Choudhary SB, Sharma HK, Maruthi RT, Jatothu JL, Mitra J, et al. Combining ability studies for fibre yield and its attributing traits in tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius L.). Bioscan. 2018;13(2):703-06.
  20. Desai TB, Bala M, Patel RK. Correlation studies for green manuring traits in sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea (L.)). Pharma Innov J. 2020;9(8):180-83. https://doi.org/10.21859/tpij-9-8-180
  21. Shanmugam A, Suresh R, Ramanathan A, Anandhi P, Pushpa R, Sassikumar D. Correlation and path coefficient analysis among yield and yield attributing traits of rice landraces. Curr Innov Agric Sci. 2024;1(1):35-42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10265-023-00855-x
  22. Tejaswini KL, Manukonda S, Rao PR, Kumar BR, Mohammad LA, Raju SK. Cluster analysis studies in rice (Oryza sativa L.) using Ward's minimum variance method. J Agric Crop Res. 2016;4(9):129-39. https://doi.org/10.21273/JACR.4.9.129
  23. Desai TB, Bala M, Patel RK. Genetic divergence in sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea (L.)). Legume Res. 2023;46(4):413-16. https://doi.org/10.18805/LR-2621
  24. Shanmugam A, Manivelan K, Deepika K, Nithishkumar G, Blessy V, Monihasri RB, et al. Unraveling the genetic potential of native rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces for tolerance to early-stage submergence. Front Plant Sci. 2023;14:1083177. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1083177
  25. Acquaah G. Principles of plant genetics and breeding. John Wiley and Sons; 2009.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.