Multivariate Analysis, Genetic Diversity and Phenotypic Correlation of Nineteen Exotic Groundnut Accessions
19 Groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L. ) genotypes receiv ed from International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid T ropics (ICRISA T) India w ere ev aluated in a non replicated trial and the characters w ere subjected to multiv ariate analysis to study the v ariability within the genotypes. The first 5 axes of the principal component analysis captured 78% of the total v ariability and identified yield parameters such as number of pods per plant, pod w eight per plant and growth parameters such as number of branches per plant, plant spread, and pod characteristics as the characters contributing most to total v ariation. Phenotypic correlation analysis rev ealed that the yield has positiv e correlation with the characters such as number of pods per plant and number of branches per plant. W ards clustering method has grouped the genotypes into 3 distinct clusters. The results can be applied in order to strengthen the breeding program