MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS IN MALVA SYLVESTRIS

Abstract

Malva sylvestris is a revered medicinal plant spread across the world, well-known for its versatile therapeutic properties. However, the environmental stressors, specifically water scarcity, cause a damaging threat to its global cultivation and metabolic representation, involving a deeper understanding of its morpho-physiological adaptive approaches. This study examines the morphological and physiological characters of Malva syivestris collected across the three different locations at the University of Punjab, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. Three replications of three plants per site were taken to calculate the vegetative characters, including fresh weight(FW), dry weight(DW), leaf area(LA), leaf length (LL), leaf width(LW), moisture content(MC), root length (RL), and shoot height(SH). Data were investigated by using the analysis of variance(ANOVA), correlation coefficients, multiple linear regression, and GGEbiplot analysis. ANOVA demonstrates that the collection site greatly impacted all studied characters, revealing a suitable coefficient of variation (CV) range of 10-15%. On the other hand, the correlation analysis indicates a strong positive association between FW and DW. In contrast, a strong negative correlation was noticed between MC and RL, indicating a key physiological adjustment where plants alter the distribution of resources to enhance the root and shoot length under drought stress conditions. These studies demonstrate the high phenotypic plasticity of Malva sylvestris and build up an extensive morpho-physiological profile. To maximize the cultivation of Malva sylvestris, the breeding program should focus on selecting genotypes with larger leaf area, root length, and dry weight, which will work as a key character for environmental adaptation and stress resistance.