Multivariate analysis of morphological characters in Setaria leiantha Hackel

Summary Continuous characters related to plant morphology and seed production were measured in eight populations of Setaria leiantha. Phenotypic variation for 12 traits was analyzed by multivariate methods. A canonical variate analysis provided a preliminary criteria for distinguishing the populations. The first three canonical components account for 93% of the total variance. Seed weight per ear was the most important character to discriminate among populations. The preliminari groups formed will serve as centers of diversity for future collections.