Deciphering the genetic diversity of different fenugreek genotypes based on the morphology, yield, UPOV criteria and some quality properties

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) is one of the most important medicinal and aromatic plants besides legumes. In this study, morphological, yield and UPOV criteria of different origin 111 fenugreek genotypes (109 genotypes with two cultivars) were evaluated during the three vegetation periods. In addition, crude protein, fixed oil and fatty acids of fixed oil were determined in selected genotypes according to the seed yield averages of three years. A wide range of variation for characteristics such as pod linking days (56.72–75.39 d), plant height (34.13–78.67 cm), branch number (1.86–5.96), thousand seed weight (6.18–23.22 g), and seed yield (0.71–8.60 g/plant) was observed and can be useful for fenugreek breeding purposes. The CN 19095 and CN 19154 were found superior with the highest seed yield as compared with other genotypes. In addition, the CN 19119, CN 19154, CN 19108, PI 628790 genotypes are suitable in terms of crude protein and fixed oil contents. The cluster analysis was conducted to determine genetic differences among the examined germplasm. It revealed that the Çiftçi and Gürarslan were found in the same main and subgroup with 24 fenugreek genotypes. However, same origin fenugreek genotypes took place in the different groups regardless of geographical regions. The correlation and PCA analysis were conducted to determine the correlations among the examined properties. As a result of the study, 109 fenugreek genotypes and 2 cultivars showed high variability, and these genotypes can be used as the main material sources in future breeding programs.