Ginger germplasm classification and identification of morphological markers related to rhizome yield

Abstract Ginger ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a rhizomatous plant with wide usage in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. The inclusion of ginger rhizomes in the home remedies for prophylaxis related to COVID‐19 infection may have caused a sharp rise in global ginger demand that has exceeded supply. To meet this demand, there is a need to identify high yielding genotypes with desirable attributes. The objectives of this study were to characterize and identify morphological markers that are associated with high rhizome yields. Ten ginger genotypes were assessed for 2 yr for their yield and phytochemical and mineral compositions under a randomized complete block design with three replications. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed on the genotypes based on eight morphological attributes and 15 phytoconstituent contents. The results showed three clusters and two outliers. The dendrogram identified cluster A with genotypes KD‐2 and EN‐1 as the highest rhizome yielder. The pseudo‐stem diameter (.808), leaf width (.743), plant height (.722), and the number of leaves plant −1 (.641) showed the highest correlation coefficients with the ginger rhizome yield. The path coefficient analysis showed that 70.6% of the contribution of the pseudo‐stem diameter to the rhizome yield occurred through its indirect effect on the leaf width (47.2%) and plant height (23.4%). These markers should be considered in selecting high‐yielding ginger genotypes for production.