부산대학교 도서관

Chili (Capsicum spp.) is an important spice and vegetable crop grown across the world. It is an integral part of Bhutanese cuisine and culture and is one of the most important vegetables grown in Bhutan. Although many chili varieties are grown across the country, information on their genetic diversity is limited. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the genetic variation of chili accessions grown in Bhutan by using morphological characterization. Twenty-seven accessions from different locations were evaluated on the basis of 50 morphological descriptors. Results showed that the all the accessions, except for the out-group based on Capsicum frutescens L., evaluated in this study were Capsicum annuum L. accessions. High variations in qualitative and quantitative characters were observed among the C. annuum accessions. Fruit components, specifically, fruit width (54.99%), fruit length (50.87%), and fruit wall thickness (148%), showed high coefficients of variation. Hierarchical cluster analysis allocated the accessions into 10 clusters at a Euclidian distance of 5. Eleven accession lines that were characterized by slender elongated fruits with pointed blossom ends and semiwrinkled fruits were located in one cluster. Fourteen components were selected as meaningful attributes with eigenvalues greater than 1 in principal component analysis. These components accounted for 83% of the variation. Therefore, the C. annuum accessions grown in Bhutan exhibited wide variation. This variation could be attributed to diverse ecological zones and microclimates. However, studies at the molecular level are recommended to confirm the diversity of the accessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]