A phenetic analysis of morphological traits on Daluga (Cyrtosperma merkusii (Hassk.) Schott) in Siau, Sangihe and Talaud Islands, North of Sulawesi

Daluga (Cyrtosperma merkusii (Hassk.) Schott) is one of the edible cormus belonging to Araceae which has not been cultivated in Indonesia. Morphological evaluation and characterization are needed to determine characters of Daluga for genetic variability to improve edible Daluga variants, so this research aims to determine the diversity and the phenetic relationship of Daluga based on morphological traits. Thirty-six accessions were collected from Siau, Sangihe and Talaud (Salibabu and Karakelang) Islands and there were eleven variants of Daluga. Cluster analysis was conducted by UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Methods using Arithmetic Average) methods to construct a dendrogram using MultiVariate Statistical Program (MSVP) version 3.1 software. The dendrogram showed that 11 variants of Daluga in fourteen sampling sites divided into two main clusters, cluster A consisted of eight variants whereas cluster B consisted of three variants which each cluster are divided into two sub-clusters. The result of the phenetic analysis showed that the variant 1 and 4 are two variants that are a very close relationship with the percent similarity is 73.6%. This new information is important for the future of the plant varietal improvement program and for the conservation of Daluga.