The nearest-neighbour linkage method based on the nearest-neighbour rule or the maximum similarity between two samples and the complete-linkage method based on the minimum similarity between two samples were used to cluster the accessions into groups.
The Eastern accessions were further clustered into red or yellow fruits at similarity indexes of 0.936 and 0.865 using the nearest-neighbour and complete-linkage methods, respectively.
Furthermore, the Eastern accessions were subdivided into two phenetic clusters at similarity coefficients of 0.936 and 0.865 using the nearest-neighbour and complete-linkage methods, respectively.
The 34 quantitative and qualitative morphometric traits were used for cluster analysis and a dendrogram was constructed using the nearest-neighbour and complete-linkage methods (see Fig. 4).
The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean using both the nearest-neighbour and complete-linkage methods based on the 34 morphometric traits clustered the eight accessions into two main groups based on ecological location.
Using the 34-morphological-descriptor list, a dendrogram separated accessions with red colour from those with yellow colour at similarity indexes of 0.936 and 0.865 using the nearest-neighbour and complete-linkage methods, respectively.
In determining the phenetic clusters or intraspecific relationships among the accessions, both the nearest-neighbour and complete-linkage methods separated all the accessions into two groups (Groups I and II) at similarity indexes of 0.822 and 0.644, respectively, based on ecological location of the crops.
In fact, it is a generalisation of the classical complete linkage (or furthest neighbour) algorithm (Sørensen, 1948; McQuitty, 1960; Defays, 1977), - to which it reduces in the case d = 2.
In order to formulate time clusters for the three ports considered as one, four methods for hierarchical analysis (between groups linkage, within groups linkage, nearest neighbour, furthest neighbour) were used, with three new components that have emerged.
Finally, to provide a more complete picture of time clusters, the four hierarchical methods of analysis (between groups linkage, within groups linkage, nearest neighbour, furthest neighbour) were applied on all the transport variables of the three ports.
