Genetic Divergence Analysis of Ethiopian Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) Landraces at Wereilu, South wollo, Ethiopia

Abstract

Genetic divergence analysis assesses the level of genetic variation among different groups of organisms and quantifies differences between populations. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity of traits, estimate genetic distance and cluster them into homogenous groups among 49 fenugreek genotypes obtained from the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute. The experiment was conducted during the 2022 main cropping season at Wereilu, Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia, using a 7 × 7 simple lattice design. The collected data were examined for 13 quantitative traits. Based on Mahalanobis D2 analysis, the 49 genotypes were classified into six clusters. The clustering pattern showed that landraces from similar geographic origins were often dispersed across different groups. The largest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster II and cluster V (D2 = 341.80). Principal component analysis indicated that the first five components with eigenvalues greater than one explained 73.70% of the total variability among the genotypes. The first principal component (PCA1) contributed the most, with an eigenvalue exceeding 3, accounting for 23% of the total variation, and highlighted the relationships among the 13 traits. Several traits were identified as major contributors to the observed diversity, suggesting opportunities for improvement through direct selection and hybridization. Seed color emerged as a key factor in clustering, with genotypes grouped into six categories: green, yellow, brown, white, black/dark, and mixed. The observed genetic variability among Ethiopian fenugreek landraces provides considerable potential for enhancing both productivity and quality, thereby supporting farmers’ food security and livelihoods. Overall, the findings indicated that Ethiopian fenugreek germplasm holds significant promise for the simultaneous improvement of yield and other desirable traits.