Digital Imaging Characterization of Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) Seeds

Background and Objectives: Digital imaging which had been identified as a fast and reliable method for cultivar discrimination.Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize 15 kenaf accessions using digital imaging.Materials and Methods: Twenty five seeds each of the kenaf accessions were subjected to digital imaging analysis using the WinSEEDLE™ software to distinguish the seed morphometric traits of available kenaf accession and the possibility of using the morphometric data to determine variations between the accessions.Data on seed imaging were subjected to one-way analysis of variance, principal component analysis, Pearsonʼs correlation analysis and the single linkage cluster analysis.Results: Seed area (0.343), straight width (0.327), curved width (0.305), volume circle (0.337), surface area circle (0.340) and shape factor (0.310) contributed highly to the variation among the seeds suggesting their potential usage for cultivar discrimination by digital imaging of kenaf seeds.Conclusion: Variations existed among the seeds, breeders interested in seed improvement of kenaf may consider these seed traits when selecting for seed quality.