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To assess the magnitude of genetic diversity and interdependence of morphological traits in varieties of helmeted guinea fowl, an experiment was conducted using a total of 2005 sexually maturedrandomly-selected birds.Data was collected on some morphological traits from selected locations in Kaduna and Katsina states using a cross -sectional design and were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) procedure and cluster analysis. The PCAshowed that the first two principal components accounted for 53.10% of the total variation. Feather, ear lobe and beak colours, age, body and neck lengths were found to beresponsible for most of the variations among populations of helmeted guinea fowl. Body, shank and neck lengths, helmet height and wing span were found to have a direct and positive relationship with body weight, while feather, breast and beak colours had a negative relationship. Cluster analysis revealed that the Ash variety was more closely related to the Pearl Black variety while Pearl Ash variety was more similar to the White. The Black variety was found to be more distinct from all the other four varieties.Two main components accounted for variation in helmeted guinea fowl Original ResearchArticle |
