To determine whether Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectral analysis based on multivariate analysis for whole-cell extracts can be used to discriminate different countries of Perilla seeds at the metabolic level, leaves of Perilla seeds were subjected to FT-IR spectroscopy. FT-IR spectral data of leaves were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). FT-IR spectra confirmed typical spectral differences between frequency regions of 1,700-1,500, 1,500-1,300, and 1,100-950 cm^-1. These spectral regions reflect the quantitative and qualitative variations of amide I, II in amino acids and proteins (1,700-1,500 cm^-1), phosphodiester groups in nucleic acids and phospholipids (1,500-1,300 cm^-1), and carbohydrates (1,100-950 cm^-1). PCA revealed separate clusters corresponding to their country relationship. Thus, PCA could be used to distinguish between countries of origin with different metabolite contents. And PLS-DA showed a similar country classification of Perilla seeds. Furthermore, these metabolic discrimination systems could be used for the rapid selection and classification of useful field crop cultivars.

To compare agronomic and seed traits of 135 common bean landraces originating from Korea, Bulgaria, and El Salvador, we evaluated 20 morphological traits and performed principal component analysis (PCA). In the PCA, the first and second principal components accounted for 55.15% and 15.97% of the total variance, respectively. The first component showed a strong positive correlation with seed size and 100-seed weight, whereas the second component produced a strong negative correlation with days to flowering and days to maturity, indicating that these traits may explain the differences between landraces originating from different countries. Landraces from Korea showed higher variation in days to flowering and days to maturity; those from Bulgaria produced larger and heavier seeds; those from El Salvador produced smaller and lighter seeds and flowering and maturity occurred earlier. In addition, the landraces from El Salvador had relatively lower diversity compared to those from other countries, as they were grouped within a small cluster in the PCA. These evaluation results may provide important information for selecting breeding materials, and diversity analyses of landraces from different countries provide information for securing genetic resources.