Legume Genomics and Genetics 2024, Vol.15, No.1, 23-26 http://cropscipublisher.com/index.php/lgg 23 Scientific Commentary Open Access Multivariate Analysis Reveals the Variability in Morphological and Chemical Characteristics of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecumL.) Populations Tianxia Guo Biotechnology Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: 3048511772@qq.com Legume Genomics and Genetics, 2024 Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/lgg.2024.15.0003 Received: 05 Jan., 2024 Accepted: 06 Feb., 2024 Published: 20 Feb., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Guo, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Guo T.X., 2024, Multivariate analysis reveals the variability in morphological and chemical characteristics of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) populations, Legume Genomics and Genetics, 15(1): 23-26 (doi: 10.5376/lgg.2024.15.0003) On January 2, 2024, Ziba Bakhtiar and his research team published an article titled "Variability in proximate composition, phytochemical traits, and antioxidant properties of Iranian agro-ecotypic populations of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.)" in the journal Scientific Reports. The article investigates the variability in proximate composition, phytochemical characteristics, and antioxidant properties of different agro-ecotypic populations of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecumL.) in Iran. By analyzing leaf and seed samples from 31 Iranian fenugreek agro-ecotypic populations, the study found that the seeds contain higher levels of ash, fat, crude fiber, protein, and carbohydrates, and their energy value is significantly higher than that of the leaves. The antioxidant activity and capacity of the leaves were also studied in detail, revealing a positive correlation with total phenolic and total flavonoid contents. The research demonstrates significant differences and correlations among these traits, which are important for further studies on food production systems. 1 Interpretation of Experimental Data The study employed multivariate statistical methods to analyze the morphological characteristics, proximate composition (including moisture, crude fiber, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and energy value), total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant properties of 31 agro-ecotypic populations of fenugreek. Data analysis indicated significant differences in morphological characteristics and proximate composition among the different populations. For example, in seed samples, the highest ash content was 3.94%, the highest fat content was 7.94%, the highest crude fiber content was 10.3%, the highest protein content was 35.41%, and the highest carbohydrate content was 50.5%. Figure 2 shows the total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and their radical scavenging activities (DPPH and FRAP) of the leaves and seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum from 31 agro-ecotypic populations. From (a), it can be seen that there are significant differences in TPC and TFC content between the leaves and seeds of different ecotypic populations, with the leaves generally having higher TPC and TFC than the seeds. (b) shows the DPPH and FRAP activities, indicating that the antioxidant activity of the leaves is generally higher than that of the seeds, especially in populations such as Ahvaz and Kermanshah. These data suggest that the leaves of Trigonella foenum-graecum have advantages over the seeds in terms of antioxidant activity and phenolic content. Figure 3 shows the bi-plot graph and correlation plot for the principal component analysis (PCA) based on the proximate composition, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activities of the leaves and seeds of Trigonella foenum-graecum from 31 agro-ecotypic populations. The PCA in (a) and (b) demonstrates significant differences in composition among different ecotypic populations, especially in crude fiber, protein, and carbohydrates. The correlations in (c) and (d) reveal the relationships between total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activities. The antioxidant activity of the leaves (DPPH and FRAP) is positively correlated with total phenolics and total flavonoids (correlation coefficients of 0.50 and 0.68, respectively), while this correlation
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