Exploring the phenotypic diversity of

Introduction: Tef or Teff [ Methods: Two morphological ( Results: Five major panicle forms were identified including very loose, loose, semi-loose, compact, and, very compact, which were present in 24%, 25%, 25%, 18%, and 8% of accessions, respectively. Accessions with very compact panicles showed the highest biomass production and plant height, whereas accessions with loose and very loose panicle forms showed the highest tiller counts, seed yield, and harvest indices. White-seeded accessions were more numerous (55%) than brown-seeded accessions (45%) with white seeds being more common in very compact, compact, and semi-loose panicle forms and brown seeds being more common in loose and very loose panicle forms. Correlation analysis revealed positive associations among fresh weight, dry weight, straw yield, and plant height was well as seed yield and harvest index. Hundred-seed weight was positively correlated with seed area, plant height, and panicle length. Principal component analysis identified fresh weight, dry weight, and straw yield as major contributors (72.6%) to total trait variation. Hierarchical agglomerative clustering analysis revealed five distinct groups based upon the quantitative agronomic traits. Discussion: These data provide an invaluable resource for genome-wide association studies, stratified sampling, and parental line selection for ongoing