Genetic variability and character association of common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) for yield and yield component traits at Wolaita, southern region of Ethiopia

Genetic variability plays a crucial role in plant breeding programs aimed at improving yield and yield‐related traits. The objective of this study was to assess the genetic variability and character association among common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes for yield and related agronomic traits. Thirty‐six genotypes were evaluated under field conditions at Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia, using a 6 × 6 simple lattice design. Data were collected on 13 quantitative traits and analyzed using analysis of variance, variability parameters, heritability, genetic advance, correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis. The results indicated significant genetic variation among the genotypes. PCA revealed that the first two principal components accounted for over half of the total variability in the data, and cluster analysis classified the genotypes into five distinct groups. This finding suggests that the existence of significant and exploitable genetic diversity, provides valuable information for the further selection of best parental genotypes for breeding strategies for yield and yield component improvement of common bean.