Genetic diversity of agronomic characteristics of 29 Bromus inermis germplasms

The genetic diversity of 29 Bromus inermis accessions was evaluated with 23 agronomic characteristics using principal component and clustering analysis. The results showed that the different accessions exhibited various degrees of diversity for the available 23 traits, in which the largest spikelet variation was the largest 32.92%. The twenty-three characters were transformed to six principal components that represented the main information of the original target, and the cumulative contribution rate was 77.92%. The 29 B. inermis accessions were divided into three groups. Group Ⅰ had tall plants, fewer spikelets, and small leaves. Group Ⅱ had short plants, thin stems, and light seeds. Group Ⅲ had big leaves, multiple spikelets, and heavier seeds. The exotic accessions in this study have a certain practical significance for enriching the germplasm resources of China's bromegrass and for carrying out breeding of several varieties.