DOI: n/a
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the similarity and distance effects of different irrigation regimes in soybeans (cultivar Srebrina) and their grouping based on some basic biometric elements by applying cluster analysis. Data from a two-year field experience were used for the purpose of the study, including a variant without irrigation and an optimal irrigation one, as well as variants with canceling of irrigations and reduced irrigation rates (14 variants in total). The experiment was carried out in the region of Plovdiv (Bulgaria) during the 2008–2009 period. The classification and grouping of the variants by hierarchical cluster analysis according to their genetic proximity allowed an increased objectivity of the evaluation of the combined effects of the irrigation regime on the biometric characteristics of soybeans. The results of the cluster analysis were consistent with the conclusions made in the analysis of the applied irrigation regimes and their impact on the plants from a biological perspective.