Principal Component and Path Analysis for Trait Selection Based on the Assessment of Diverse Lentil Populations Developed by Gamma-Irradiated Physical Mutation

Lentil is a notable legume crop valued for its high protein, vitamin, mineral, and amino acid (lysine and tryptophan) content. This crop has a narrow genetic base due to the formation of gene pool barriers during interspecific hybridization within and across species. Mutagenesis may be seen as a novel and alternative breeding technique for the production of new diversity. For the identification of new alleles, the creation of mutants followed by selection in subsequent generations would be necessary. Induction of mutation in lentil cv. Moitree by gamma rays therefore produced high variation for the majority of quantitative measures examined. Henceforth, principal component analysis (PCA) and path coefficient analysis were conducted to identify and exclude redundant mutant genotypes with similar traits as the success of breeding is dependent on understanding the relationship between morpho-agronomic traits and seed yield. As shown by the findings of this research, the total quantity of pods per mutant plant should be given considerable priority. The identified mutant genotypes, such as lines 24, 43, 28, 33, and 10, may be used as parents in future breeding or released directly following trials.