Research Article
Phenotypic Characterization of Selected Kenyan Purple and Yellow Passion Fruit Genotypes Based on Morpho-Agronomic Descriptors
Matheri F1*, Mwangi M2, Runo S1, Ngugi M1, Kirubi DT2, Fred Teya1, Mawia AM1, Kioko FW1 and Kamau DN3
1Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
2Department of Agricultural Science and Technology, School of Agriculture and Enterprise Development, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
3Department of Microbiology, School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
- Corresponding Author:
- Felix Matheri
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Kenyatta University
PO Box 43844-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254729303161
Fax: +254729303161
E-mail: felmat06@yahoo.com
Received date: April 07, 2016; Accepted date: May 25, 2016; Published date: June 05, 2016
Citation:Matheri F, Mwangi M, Runo S, Ngugi M, Kirubi DT, et al. (2016) Phenotypic Characterization of Selected Kenyan Purple and Yellow Passion Fruit Genotypes Based on Morpho-Agronomic Descriptors. Adv Crop Sci Tech 4:226. doi:10.4172/2329-8863.1000226
Copyright: © 2016 Matheri F, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Phenotypic characterization is crucial in determination of variability of hybrid varieties and their parents. The objective of this study was to determine phenotypic variation among known genotypes of both parent and KPF hybrids, as well as genotypes collected mainly from Embu County which is one of the growing areas of hybrid varieties developed by KALRO. Analysis was done using Minitab 17.0 software. Six out of seven morpho-agronomic descriptors evaluated, showed significant differences among the genotypes under study. A dendrogram based on the 7 morpho-agronomic descriptors discriminated the genotypes into two main clusters with one main cluster (II) carrying only 2 genotypes. Principal component analysis corroborated the findings of the dendrogram, distantly placing the two genotypes further from the other genotypes.