Morphological Variation of Accessions of Perilla Crop (Perilla frutescens L.) and Related Weedy Types Collected from South Korea

In this study, in order to understand the differentiation process of Perilla crop and related weedy types collected from South Korea, morphological variation between accessions of cultivated var. frutescens and related weedy types of var. frutescens and var. crispa was investigated by principal component analysis (PCA) using morphological characteristics, especially including seed traits such as seed size, seed hardness, seed color and seed germination rate. The first and second principal components accounted for 54.1% and 17.9% of the total variance, respectively. In the PCA analysis, most of the qualitative and quantitative traits contributed significantly to the positive or negative direction on the first axis. Thus, the first axis could be used mainly to distinguish between accessions of cultivated var. frutescens and weedy var. frutescens, and also between accessions of cultivated and weedy types of var. frutescens and weedy var. crispa. However, for several accessions it was not possible to discriminate clearly between accessions of cultivated and weedy types of var. frutescens and also between accessions of the two weedy types of var. frutescens and var. crispa. The results of the PCA analysis are thought to provide useful information for understanding the cultivation process of Perilla crop and the differentiation process of Perilla crop and related weedy types. Also, this study demonstrates the efficacy and utility of PCA analysis using morphological traits, including seed traits such as seed size, seed hardness, seed color and seed germination rate, in the study of morphological variation of Perilla crop and related weedy types.