Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) accessions depict genetic variations in growth and yield characteristics, biochemical parameters, antioxidant potential, and secoisolariciresinol diglucoside content

Evaluation of genetic variability in germplasm accessions facilitates the optimal application of genetic resources to produce new cultivars. In the present study, the genetic diversity among ten linseeds (Linum usitatissimum L.) accessions was studied using different agro-morphological and biochemical parameters. The tested plants were grown in basal doses of zinc fertilization and were maintained in the herbal garden of Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India. The plants were screened for morpho-physiological traits like plant height, seed weight, capsule number, yield characteristics, and biochemical traits like chlorophyll, protein, sugar, oil content, and antioxidant potential at three different plant growth stages. The quantity of lignans like secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) and gallic acid content was also assessed in the tested accessions using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis. The results indicate that at the post-flowering stage, the economically significant characteristics such as seed weight, capsule number, and 1000 seed weight showed remarkable variability among the accessions. Also, yield characteristics, oil content, protein content, antioxidants, SDG, and gallic acid content exhibited a significant amount of genotypic variations among the accessions. Consequently, accession EC1537 (V7) was found to be high-efficient and accession IC0345421 (V1) was found to be low-efficient in terms of morpho-physiological, biochemical, yield characteristics, and metabolite accumulation potential. The genetic variations among the accession were further confirmed using hierarchical cluster analysis. The tested ten accessions were divided into three clusters, with Cluster I representing a degree of similarity of 79.48% and the mean distance to the centroid of 17.67% (V1, V3, and V9), Cluster II representing a degree of similarity of 80.79% and a mean distance of 22.12% to the centroid (V2, V6, V10, V5, V4, V8), and cluster III—associated with accessions V7, respectively. Multiple parameters were employed in conjunction with multivariate analysis to precisely identify the accessions with the highest efficiency as EC1537 (V7) and the accession with the lowest efficiency as IC0345421 (V1). The results indicate the variety of traits that can be utilized in breeding lines to produce a crop that is sustainable, and of great value, while also meeting agricultural and economic requirements.