Genetic diversity studies in bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. Grossum Sendt.) genotypes for growth, yield and quality traits

Abstract

This study was carried out during Kharif season 2021 at the Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, HP to study the genetic diversity among 26 genotypes of Bell pepper. Fourteen traits related to growth, yield, yield components, and quality were evaluated. The study involved analysis of intra- and inter-cluster distances, which revealed considerable genetic diversity among the varieties. The greatest inter-cluster distance was found between VI and VII (1004.90), indicating that these varieties were highly divergent. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified five major principal components, with PC1 accounting for 26.3% of the total variation. Key traits contributing to variability included fruit weight, fruit breadth, fruit length, pericarp thickness, and number of lobes per fruit. While hierarchical cluster analysis provided clearer differentiation among genotypes groups than PCA, it was less effective in comparison to k-means. Additionally, fruit yield per plant was validated through heat map analysis. The top performing genotypes viz., UHF CAP-1 and UHF CAP-31 were identified promising for future hybridization in bell pepperimprovement. These genotypes, showing superiority for various traits, may be taken into consideration for an efficient hybridization programme in bell pepper. © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Plant Research 2025.