Morphological characterization of Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) ecotypes collected in Chiapas, Mexico

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.