Resumen de Morphological characterization of Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) ecotypes collected in Chiapas, Mexico
Luis Antonio Gálvez Marroquín, José de Jesús Maldonado Méndez, Cándido Enrique Guerra Medina, Carlos Hugo Avendaño Arrazate, Rafael Ariza Flores
Objective: To characterize the morphology of 18 ecotypes of Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) in Chiapas. Design/Methodology/Approach: The morphological characterization was carried out with 34 quantitative and qualitative descriptors. A principal component analysis and a hierarchical cluster analysis were performed based on the average data. Results: In the principal component analysis, five of the principal components accounted for 70.7% of the total variability in the 18 ecotypes of Elephant grass. The variables that made the most significant contributions in each CP were: in CP1, internode diameter (p<0.01), internode length (p<0.05), color of internode without wax (p<0.01), number of innovations (p<0.01 ), prophylls (p<0.01), number of prophylls (p<0.01), external length of the sheath (p<0.01), internal length of the sheath at its opening point (p<0.01), opening of the auricle (p<0.01 ); for CP2, the number of visible internodes (p<0.05), channel width (p<0.05), size of innovations (p<0.05), adventitious root, number of internodes (p<0.01), wax under the sheath (p<0.05); and for CP3, number of visible internodes (p<0.05), color of the internode with wax (p<0.001), channel depth (p<0.001), ligule shape (p<0.05) and leaflet tip (p< 0.05). As a result of the hierarchical cluster analysis and the semipartial correlation coefficient, five morphologically distinct groups were determined. Study Limitations: A more accurate description of the morphological diversity of the grasses requires the characterization of the inflorescence and the spikelet. Findings/Conclusions: The 18 ecotypes of the Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) collected and characterized were dissimilar with each other; consequently, they are considered a genetic resource with potential importance as forage on the Chiapas coast.
