Multivariate distance and classification of winter wheat breeding programs

Winter wheat breeding in Croatia has a long tradition. The main breeding centers are near Zagreb and Osijek. It seems that the varieties selected in these centers have their own specific origin, partly responsible for their diversity. The aim of this investigation was to analyze multivariate differences of the varieties, classified by their breeding programs. The distinctness of Croatian main winter wheat breeding programs based upon the multivariate data was detected, which in a certain way proved the existence of their characteristic germplasm.