Ex situ Evaluation on Genetic Diversity of Indigenous Taro Landraces in North East India

In this study, 110 taro landraces were characterized using 19 quantitative traits. Statistical tools like descriptive statistics, Shannon–Wiener diversity index, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis were used to evaluate diversity. Descriptive statistics showed significant variation among the landraces for the 19 quantitative traits studied. The highest coefficient of variation was found in the yield, number of suckers, leaf width and total oxalate. The corm length (H′ – 1.06) and starch content (H′ – 1.20) had the highest Shannon–Wiener diversity index. PCA resulted in seven principal components (PCs), which explain 70.65% of the total variation. PC1 was mainly associated with plant height, leaf length, leaf width, petiole length and plant spread. PC2 was associated with yield, moisture content, corm length and total oxalate. PC3 was associated with dry matter content and disease index. The cluster analysis using the weighted neighbor-joining method resulted in five major clusters based on geographical location. Cluster IV had a maximum of 54 landraces, and cluster III had a minimum of five landraces. The present study, which identified high genetic diversity and plant height, number of suckers, leaf length, leaf width, corm length, yield, total oxalate content and disease index, can be useful in taro varietal improvement programmes.