African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 5 (11), pp. 1054-1057, 2 June 2006   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2006 Academic Journals        

Full Length Research Paper

Inter-relations of growth and disease expression in pepper using principal component analysis (PCA)

E.A. Madu and M.I. Uguru*

Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

*Corresponding authors E-mail: maxokoye2001@yahoo.co.uk.

Accepted 4 May, 2006

Field reactions of 12 indigenous pepper lines (UNS₂, UNS₃, NSKY-LP, Atanukwu yola, Sombe, NSKY-SE, Tarugu, Tartasi, Dangarawa, Oshosho, NSKY-RW and a Hybrid between Sombe and NSKY-RW) for resistance to pepper veinal mottle virus (PVMV) were determined with principal component analysis (PCA). Genetically related genotypes tend to cluster, indicating that there is a significant genetic component to the underlying patterns of variations in growth and disease attributes. The PCA showed that the vegetative trait had high PRIN 1 value, thereby suggesting that the trait could be used to assign pepper genotypes into different agronomic groups. Similarly, the disease characters were the main determinants of PRIN 2 thus, implicating them as additional useful traits for classification of pepper lines.

Key words: Pepper, Capsicum spp., pepper veinal mottle virus, principal component analysis.