Divergence and genetic parameters between Melia dubia genotypes based on morpho-anatomical stomatal descriptors

Stomata in leaves that regulate gas exchange between the atmosphere and mesophyll aid in identifying plant species to complete taxonomic data. This study investigated the stomatal descriptors of Melia dubia, a potential plywood species, to distinguish variation within the species to explain the diversity and diagnostic significances of these attributes. Twenty clones were selected to investigate nine stomatal characters related to stomatal type, length, width, density, and distribution. The results showed the presence of hypostomatic leaves with stomata that falls under the category small. Stomatal clustering, an abnormal stomatal patterning formed by two or more stomata was also observed. Numerical analysis carried out using SPSS and R packages revealed significant variation in observed parameters. Correlation analysis shows that stomatal length, width, and size were significantly correlated to pore length, pore width, pore perimeter and stomatal pore depth. Further hierarchical cluster analysis using the average linkage between groups method clustered all the 20 clones into 5 clusters distributing the variation among clones. Divergence analysis using Mahanalobis distance-based clustering detailed the dissimilarities and differences between the clones. This is the first detailed stomatal study in the genus Melia that highlights the diagnostic potential of stomatal features in identifying variations within the species.