Abstract:
Principal agronomic components of the plants and fruits of 60 varieties of luffa were analyzed. A cluster analysis was conducted on the composition and morphological traits of the vegetables. The results showed coefficient of variations among them ranged from 0% to 111%; and, Shannon's information, from 0 to 2.037. Overall, their variation coefficients and diversity indices were high and distinctively different from one another. The principal component analysis showed 5 indices to largely cover all agronomic traits that could distinguish between
Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb and
L. cylindrica (L.) M.J. Roem. They included the flesh, shape, maturity, and appearance of the fruits. Morphologically, the germplasms were clustered into two groups, with
Luffa acutangula in one and
L. cylindrica in the other.