PHENOTYPIC VARIABILITY OF COMMERCIALLY SIGNIFICANT TRAITS IN F <sub>1</sub> PROGENY OF THE HYBRID COMBINATION ARMIRA X RUSALKA 1
Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) have been applied for the purpose of studying phenotypic variability of agrobiological traits and efficiency of selection in F1 progeny of the cross Armira x Russalka 1. It has been found that the traits possessing the highest degree of variability in the first and second principal component are yield, shoot and fruiting shoot fertility coefficient, millerandage berries, cluster width, berry length, average cluster weight and average weight of 100 berries, total number of buds, shoots and clusters. In the entire plant population seven principal components explain 84,190 % of the total variation, and in the seeded and seedless seedlings – six principal components explain 83,368 % and 89,154 % respectively of the total variation. From the seeded seedlings № 15, 20, 23 and 30 are characterized by the best agrobiological indices and they are suitable for selection, and from the seedless plants № 29, 28, 26, 18, 14, 11, 5 and 1. In order to develop new hybrid forms with valuable commercial qualities, plants № 15 and 30 from the seeded seedlings should be crossed.