Genetic diversity studies in safflower germplasm (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Abstract

The investigation on Genetic diversity studies in safflower germplasm (Carthamus tinctorius L.)” was undertaken to estimate the extent of diversity and to estimate the contribution of each character towards genetic diversity. The set of 63 genotypes along with three checks 'A-1, PBNS-12, PKV Pink' were evaluated at the field of Oilseeds Research Unit, Dr. PDKV, Akola during rabi 2018-2019. Based on measurements of genetic diversity by Mahalanobis D2 distance and grouping by Tocher’s method, these genotypes were grouped into ten clusters. Clusters VI and VIII (3896.92) had maximum average inter cluster distance followed by clusters X and VIII (3096.12), clusters III and VI (2772.88), clusters II and VIII (2383.65), clusters V and IV (2296.31). Seed yield per plant (25.69%) contributed maximum towards genetic divergence followed by days to maturity (18.41%), days to 50% flowering (16.08%), number of seeds per capitulum (12.82%) and plant height (10.58). The present investigation projected the importance of GMU-7363, GMU-5135, GMU-5134 as parents for higher heterosis in F1 and potential transgrassive segragants in subsequent generations for earliness as they have least mean for days to maturity whereas high mean of GMU-7448, GMU-5136, GMU-2648, GMU-2928, GMU-667, GMU-1798 GMU-2830 and GMU-7355 for characters viz plant height, number of branches per plant, number of capitula per plant, number of seeds per capitulum, 100 seed weight, volume weight, oil content and seed yield per plant respectively.