Divergence Studies and Principal Component Analysis for Growth, Yield and Quality Traits in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

The present investigation was conducted during the Kharif season of 2023. The experiment involved 25 potato selections collected from different areas in and around Hirpora in Shopian district and assessed for a range of growth, yield and quality characteristics. The analysis of variance for dispersion revealed significant variability among the traits under study. The largest number of selections was found in Cluster III (8), followed by Cluster VI (6) and Cluster V (4). The greatest inter-cluster distance (59.02) was observed between Cluster IV and Cluster II whereas the smallest inter-cluster distance (15.46) was observed between Cluster I and Cluster III. Notable differences were found in cluster means for various traits among the clusters. Principal component analysis revealed that five of the ten principal components, each with an eigenvalue greater than 1.0, explained 73.20% of the total variation.