| Ethiopian mustard(Brassica carinata A.Braun)is one of the most prominent Brassica leaf vegetables and oilseed crops which can withstand adverse environmental conditions;however,it still needs a very intensive characterization and investigation for better utilization of its available nutrients such as vitamins,minerals,and protein.This study was conducted to evaluate the leaf attributes of Brassica carinata accessions and also characterize the accessions for better yield production systems.A total of 313 Ethiopian mustard accessions were characterized and evaluated in the winter(greenhouse),spring(field)and autumn(field)seasons of 2018/19 in Beijing,China.The accessions were grown in a greenhouse followed by an experimental field.All accessions were recorded and evaluated for their morphological attributes by using the IBPGR for Brassica and Raphanus descriptor format and Fiji Image J.The morphological attributes were classified as leaf blades and shapes,plant pigmentation,leaf size,flowering time(FT)and seed color.A total of 18 morphological attributes were evaluated by the JMP software.A significant difference was observed among the accessions for leaf size attributes(p <0.001).Furthermore,there were significant accession × season effects for the leave size attributes.Most of the accessions had serrated leaf margin,light green and green leaf color with absence of pubescence and an intermediate estimated number of leaves.Notably,several accessions had an average of 81 days for FT with brown seed color.The multivariate cluster and principal component analyses divided the 313 accessions into eight groups;consisting of 81,37,79,38,14,11,6 and 47 accessions.Thus,this study provides comprehensive information concerning Ethiopian mustard germplasms which is vital for the advancement of genetic improvement programs.This information will be also useful for Brassica breeding programs,molecular breeders,in ensuring for a better and wider utilization of these germplasms. |
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