Genetic Diversity on Phenotypes of Blumea balsamifera Germplasms

Objective  The diversified phenotypic characteristics of Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC. germplasms were classified to facilitate the breeding program. Method  Nine quantifiable and 13 quality phenotypic traits of the plant were used to describe the 159 germplasm samples of B. balsamifera. Genetic diversity, correlation, principal component, and cluster analyses were applied for the study. Result The genetic diversity on phenotypic characteristics of the collected germplasms was rich. Among the quantifiable traits, plant height had the highest genetic diversity index of 2.072; and, number of flowering branches topped the coefficient of variation at 32.76%. The crown breadth of the plants was found significantly correlated with the height, leaf width, petiole length, length of flower branch, and opening angle of flower branch (P＜0.01). On the quality traits, the highest genetic diversity index of 1.201 was the leaf shape. And, the color intensity of anthocyanin in leaf vein and that in main stem, as well as, those in leaf edge and petiole were significantly correlated. The cumulative contribution rate of the first eight principal components reached 64.32%. They included the factors associated with yield, color-intensity, leaf smoothness, leaf edge, leaf shape, leaf greenness, and flower-branch angle. Based on the phenotypic traits, the sum of squares deviations method using the genetic distance of 10 on the germplasms divided the 159 varieties into Group Ⅰ of 39 that accounted for 24.53% of the total, Group Ⅱ of 38 that accounted for 23.90% of the total, and Group Ⅲ of 82 that accounted for 51.57% of the total. Conclusion Genetically, the phenotypic characteristics of the 159 B. balsamifera germplasms appeared richly diversified. The leaf width of the plants could be the most outstanding trait for breeding selection of high-yield B. balsamifera varieties.