A model for cultivar classification and identification with reference to oats (Avena). I. Establishment of the groupings by taximetric methods

摘要

This paper describes the establishment and validation of 14 groupings of cultivars in the hexaploid cultivated oats. This study is based on 5000 samples from various parts of the world. In order to base the groupings on non-agronomic characters, 21 attributes, mainly micromorphological ones taken from floral parts such as lemmas, paleas, and lodicules, were examined and recorded. A divisive chain algorithm was devised for clustering 5000 individuals. The 107 clusters thus formed were then processed by single linkage, yielding 14 acceptable groupings; these were subsequently investigated by a canonical analysis. The procedural principles proposed are described and discussed.