Principal Component Analysis and Genetic Divergence Studies for Yield and Yield-Related Trait of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) Genotypes at Pawe North Western Ethiopia

A study was conducted on sixty-four (64) groundnut genotypes at Pawe northwestern part of Ethiopia. And the analysis of variance revealed the existence of significant variation among the tested groundnut genotypes. Cluster analysis showed the existence of five (5) divergent groups and the maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster (II) and cluster (V) D2=1419.77 and the shortest inter-cluster squared distance was found between cluster (I) and Cluster (III) D2=247.23. The first four principal components for (PCs) accounted for 70.03% of the total variation. Overall, the results of the current study depicted the presence of sufficient genetic diversity existed among tested groundnut genotypes for further use in breeding programs. However, a one-season experiment will not realize variability because quantitative traits are polygenic and highly influenced by the environment. So, further experiments must be conducted over location and seasons.