Principal components of genetic diversity in black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper]

Forty black gram [Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper] genotypes were evaluated using principal component analysis to estimate the extent of genetic diversity for ten different yield and its component traits. The first three principal components viz., PC I, PC II and PC III with eigen values more than one contributed around 80% of the variability for the genotypes studied. PC I contributed 46.834% towards variability and the traits responsible for its contribution are viz., number of clusters per plant, grain yield per plant, number of branches per plant and number of seeds per pod. The second axis (PC II) contributed 18.951% variability and variation at this axis is due to the accumulated genetic variation of traits viz., days to 50% flowering, days to maturity, grain yield per plant and number of clusters per plant. While PC III and PC IV accumulated 13.807% and 5.765% respectively. Therefore on a cumulative note, first four axes contributed about 85.357% of total variance among 10 characters for all the forty genotypes under study. In the current investigation, four lines (TU 94-2, PU 31, IPU 94-1 and LBG 623) are identified from the depicted 2D & 3D figures as diverse genotypes, which may yield transgressive segregants or heterotic F1s based on nature of gene action of the trait in question.