Phenotypic characterization of Elaeagnus angustifolia using multivariate analysis

Examining patterns of phenotypic variation has become an integral component of many management plans concerning endangered plant species. In the current study, the morphological characteristics of Elaeagnus angustifolia were evaluated to distinguish the phenotypic variability and thus to be used for protection of this plant species. The studied traits showed considerable differences (P < 0.05) among the accessions. The leaf length ranged from 32.00 to 86.00 mm, while the leaf width was between 7.20-23.43 mm. Also, the fruit weight ranged from 0.93 to 5.53 g with an average of 1.77 g. Fruit weight showed positive correlations with fruit width (r = 0.51) and fruit stem length (r = 0.30). The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the seven components explained 65.90% of the total variance. Morphological cluster analysis based on the Ward method showed two distinct clusters among all the studied accessions with high diversity. The present study contains valuable information for the protection and exploitation of the germplasm studied.