Morphological Evaluation of Iranian Mulberry Genotypes in Kerman Province, Iran

Mulberry (Morus spp.) is an economically important plant, and Iran is among the most important mulberry producer countries. Meager information is available on the number of mulberry species and the characteristics of genotypes in Kerman Province. In this study, we used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to categorize a number of important mulberry traits from different parts of Kerman. A total of fifteen white and black mulberry genotypes were selected from four regions located in different parts of Kerman Province, in 2021. Fourteen qualitative and 15 quantitative variables were measured. The highest and the lowest Coefficient of Variance (CV) was found for leaf shape and fruit length, respectively. The strongest positive correlation was obtained between the number of second-degree shoots and number of shoots. PCA showed that the first five and six components among qualitative and quantitative variables explained 87.82 and 90.87% of the total variation, respectively. The dendrogram biplot classified genotypes into five groups based on quantitative and into four distinct groups in accordance to qualitative variables. The grouping of genotypes did not follow their geographical origin. This study revealed high morphological diversity in the mulberry genotypes dispersed in Kerman, supporting their potential uses for mulberry breeding programs.