Highest Inter-cluster Distance Research Articles

Evaluation of Genetic Divergence in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Germplasm

A field experiment was carried out to assess the nature and magnitude of genetic divergence in forty genotypes of desi chickpea using Mahalanobis’s D2 Statistics. High magnitude of heritability (bs) was recorded for plant height, days to 50% flowering, biological yield, harvest index, number of pods per plant, seed yield per plot, 100 seed weight and seed yield per plant. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for seed yield per plant, seed yield per plot, number of pods per plant, 100 seed weight, harvest index, biological yield and plant height suggesting that, the role of additive gene effect and possibilities of achieving high genetic progress through selection. The forty chickpea genotypes were grouped into seven clusters suggesting considerable amount of genetic diversity in the material. The cluster III has a total of 10 genotypes, followed by cluster II with nine, cluster VI with seven, cluster IV and V with four, and cluster I and VII with three genotypes, respectively. The intra-cluster D2 value ranged from 148.25 to 491.49 while, inter-cluster D2value ranged from 386.99 to 2141.49. The maximum intra cluster distance was found in cluster I followed by cluster VII and VI, indicating that cross combinations may occur through hybridization between genotypes from the same clusters. The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster I and V (2141.49), followed by cluster I and IV (1590.64), cluster II and V (1271.17) and cluster I and VII (1184.91) suggesting that the genetic architecture of the genotypes in one cluster differ entirely from those included in other clusters. These lines may be utilized in further breeding programe for the exploitation of hybrid vigour and suggesting wide diversity between them and crossings between genetically diverse lines will result in heterotic segregants, genotypes in these clusters could be employed as parents in a hybridization program to develop desirable plant types. Among the ten traits studied, maximum contribution was made by harvest index (21.28 %) followed by number of pods per plant (19.36%), biological yield (15.13%), plant height (14.87%), days to 50% flowering (12.18%) and seed yield per plant (8.08%). The genotypes ICC15921, ICC15903, K1058 and ICC15926, ICC15226, ICC7549, ICC15855 were identified as genetically diverse parents, which can be utilized for future crop improvement programe in chickpea. The aforementioned findings show that these genotypes contain the greatest genetic diversity and are useful for creating a large number of segregants through a crossing program.

Assessment of Breeding Potential of Taro (Colocasia esculenta L.) Genotypes Using D2 Analysis under Hill Zone of Karnataka

Using Mahalanobis D2 statistics, the genetic diversity of 20 genotypes of taro for 21 characteristics was assessed as part of a breeding work to increase production potential. Five clusters were formed from the genotypes, indicating a significant level of genetic variation in the material being studied. With eight genotypes, Cluster I was the largest, followed by Cluster II with seven, and Cluster III with three. Each of the solitary clusters IV and V has a single genotype. The clusters that exhibit the greatest number of genotypes are indicative of limited genetic diversity. The intra-cluster distance was highest in cluster III and lowest in clusters IV and V. Clusters I and V have the highest inter-cluster distance, followed by II and V. These clusters could potentially be used as prospective genotypes for a hybridization programme. Tuber yield/plot (13%) showed the largest contribution to the overall divergence, followed by Corm yield/plant (12.20%) and Tuber yield/plant (11.43%). The finding that clusters V and III showed high cluster means for plant height, number of leaves per plant, leaf breadth, leaf area, leaf area index, tuber yield per plant, tuber yield per plot, and estimated tuber yield is noteworthy. These clusters can be effectively used in hybridization programmes to obtain desired transgressive segregants.

Path and Genetic Divergence Analysis of Mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern & Coss.] Genotypes

The present investigation consisting of seeds of 72 genotypes with 3 check varieties (Varuna, Kranti, NDR-8501) were used for experimentation under Augmented Block Design in Indian mustard germplasm/genotypes was carried out during 2019-20 on the Student Instructional Farm Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology Kumarganj Ayodhya (U.P.) India. The characters studies were Days to 50 % flowering, Days to maturity, Plant height (cm), Number of primary branches/plants, Number of secondary branches/plants, Length of main raceme (cm), Number of silique in main raceme, Number of seeds/siliquae, 1000-seed weight (g) and Seed yield/plant (g). The highest positive direct effect on seed yield per plant exhibited by 1000 seed weight (0.2512) followed by length of main raceme (0.2189), the highest positive indirect effect on seed yield per plant was exhibited length on main raceme (0.0477) via seed pre-silique fallowed by the number of siliquae on main raceme (0.0332) via secondary branches per plant. The maximum intra-cluster distance was estimated in case of Cluster VI (2.652) followed by cluster I (2.520), Cluster IV (2.352), cluster III (2.329), cluster VIII (2.148). The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster IV and VI (4.417) followed by cluster III and VI (4.270), VI and VIII (4.251), cluster I and VII (4.156). The maximum cluster mean was found in cluster I (9.21) for seed yield per plant followed by cluster III (8.67) and cluster VII (8.50).

Genetic Divergence Analysis of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes

A laboratory experiment was carried out with 30 indigenous genotypes of bread wheat along with three checks in a complete randomized design for divergence analysis. The trial was conducted at Seed Technology laboratory of Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology Kumarganj, Ayodhya during 2020-21. The observations were recorded on thirteen-character Test weight (1000-grain weight), seed width (mm), seed length (mm), shoot length, root length, seedling length, seedling dry weight, germination (%), first count, final count, vigour index-I, vigour index-II. The 30 genotypes grouped into 5 clusters resulted in cluster I and V emerging with highest number of entries as both were constituted by 9 entries followed by Cluster III having 6 genotypes and cluster II and VI having 4 genotypes respectively. The maximum intra cluster distance was estimated in the case of Cluster II (2.630) followed by cluster I (2.618), Cluster III (2.545), cluster IV (2.512), and cluster V (2.148). The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters III and IV (6.062) Followed by clusters III and V (4.632), II and IV (4.489), cluster II and V ( 4.304). The minimum inter cluster was observed between II and III (3.317) followed by cluster IV and V ( 3.337) and cluster I and V (3.404). The cluster mean of 13 different characters for most of the character's highest cluster mean was observed in clusters IV and V and lowest cluster mean observed in cluster III and II.

Studies on Genetic Divergence Analysis in Black Gram (Vigna mungo L. Hepper) Genotypes

In order to select superior genotypes for the creation of genetic stock for hybridization program or the introduction of a crop variety, plant breeders can assist from genetic diversity both within and between plant species. Mahalanobis D2 Statistics was used to conduct the current study on Genetic Divergence and clustering pattern utilizing twenty eight different genotypes of Black gram. The experiment was conducted in Randomized Block Design with three replications at Plant Breeding Farm, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. Nine different biometrical characteristics were observed and documented viz., plant height at maturity (PH), pod length (LP), number of branches per plant (NBPP), number of clusters per plant (NCPP), number of pods per cluster (NPPC), number of pods per plant (NPPP), number of seeds per pod (NSPP), 100 seed weight (SW), and seed yield per plant (SY). All of these characters have a significant degree of variability, according to an analysis of variance. Mahalanobis (D2) static revealed considerable genetic diversity among the genotypes. Genotypes were grouped into 6 clusters. Cluster VI was the largest including 11 genotypes. The intra-cluster distance for cluster IV is the maximum and the lowest intra-cluster distance was reported for cluster II. The highest inter-cluster distance was revealed between cluster I and III and then between cluster II and III. This demonstrates unambiguously that the genotypes in this cluster exhibit a wide range of genetic variation and may be useful in a black gramme hybridization scheme to increase production. Between clusters I and II, the minimal inter-cluster distance was discovered. The percentage that each character contributed to the overall divergence was as follows: the number of pods per plant (50.997), the greater seed output (50.997), and the 100 seed weight (29.456). (8.121). It is proposed that crossings between parents from the most divergent clusters should show the highest level of heterosis as well as the greatest degree of genetic architectural variability.

Genetic divergence analysis of soybean (Glycine Max L.) genotypes using mahalanobis multivariate analysis

Wilk's criterion was used to group the 25 genotypes into three different clusters based on the D2 values. Cluster III was the biggest with 11 genotypes, followed by cluster II with 8 genotypes and cluster I with 6 genotypes. Cluster mean was the highest for days to maturity in cluster II (92.96) and lowest for number of primary branches/plant in cluster III (3.45). Using cluster means genetic diversity analysis reveals genetic backgrounds and interactions of germplasm and manages crop primary pools. The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster II and I, followed by cluster III and II (3.142), and cluster III and I (2.913). This indicates wide diversity between genotypes in these clusters, which can be exploited to generate transgressive segregants. The highest intra-cluster distance was found for cluster I, followed by cluster II (1.961), and cluster III (1.913). It is suggested that genetic materials belonging to these clusters may be used as parents for hybridization programmes to develop desirable variety.

Genetic variability, heritability and correlation in chrysanthemum (<i>Dendranthema grandiflora</i>)

Chrysanthemum is a herbaceous perennial flowering crop that holds great potential for commercial cultivation. Fifteen chrysanthemum genotypes were studied at the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala during 2022 for variability studies in morphological, flowering and post-harvest parameters. Significant variations were recorded among the genotypes for all the traits. Cluster analysis grouped the 15 chrysanthemum genotypes into 4 clusters based on all the characters. Cluster 2 consists of maximum number of 5 genotypes followed by 4 genotypes each in cluster 3 and cluster 4. Highest intra-cluster distance was recorded for cluster 2 and highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster 1 and 4. Results revealed that GCV was greater than the equivalent PCV, indicating that the environment had a negligible influence on phenotypic variation. High heritability coupled with high genetic advance for all the characters, indicating additive gene effect suggests that there is excellent scope for selection and improvement. Flower yield per plant showed a substantial positive correlation with flowers/plant, flower diameter, stalk length, stalk girth and flower weight at both phenotypic and genotypic level which could be focused for yield improvement.

Genetic Diversity Assessment Using D2 Statistics in Finger Millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.

Aim: The current investigation was carried out using total of 101 finger millet genotypes was carried out at two locations in four environments to study diversity.
 Study Design: Randomized Block Design.
 Place and Duration of Study: 6 Months at Hill Millet Research Station and College Farm, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari.
 Methodology: D2 statistics was used for study of diversity in 101 genotypes.
 Results: The perusal of the data for diversity studies revealed that intra-cluster distance ranged from 59.93 to 96.56. Highest inter-cluster distance was maximum between clusters VI and XI followed by cluster pair VI and VII.
 Conclusions: Based upon high yielding genotypes and large inter-cluster distances, it is advised to attempt crossing of the genotypes from clusters VI and XI as well as VIII and XIII which may produce broad spectrum of favourable genetic variability for yield improvement in finger millet.

Multivariate analysis for assessing genetic diversity in different genotypes of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) for varietal improvement

Accurate assessment of genetic diversity facilitates the strategic identification of superior genotypes, enabling the development of high-yielding, climate-resilient cultivars and promoting effective crop improvement strategies. The present study was carried out with 48 different genotypes of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench) during (Jan-April 2022) to investigate their genetic diversity. The analysis of genetic divergence using D2 statistics revealed substantial variation among genotypes for the twelve traits studied. The 48 genotypes were grouped into nine clusters, with cluster IV having the highest representation of 24 genotypes, followed by cluster II with 12 genotypes, cluster I with 4 genotypes, cluster III with 3 genotypes, and the remaining clusters with one genotype each. The intra and inter-cluster D2 values ranged from 0 to 95.29 and 103.00 to 588.71, respectively. The highest intra-cluster distance was observed in Cluster III (95.29), and highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster V and IX (588.71). This range clearly demonstrated that the inter-cluster distance was greater than the intra-cluster distance indicating wide diversity across the groups. Cluster VII showed a high mean for traits plant height (112.53), peduncle length (3.14), fruit length (20.03), and number of locules (7.87). Cluster V showed the highest mean for the number of fruits (39.33) and yield per plant (1.18). The analysis of all characters' relative contributions showed that the number of fruits per plant and the number of locules per fruit contributed most to genetic divergence. High heterotic effects and desired transgressive segregants are anticipated when different genotypes from clusters with the greatest inter-cluster distance are used for hybridization.

Exploring Genetic Distinctiveness among Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) Strains

The field experiment was carried out using the twenty genotypes of radish and evaluated during the Rabi season, 2021–2022, at the experimental unit of the Department of Horticulture, Tilak Dhari PG College, Jaunpur (U.P.). The objective was to estimate the genetic diversity available in the genotypes. The D2 analysis showed broad diversity among the genotypes, which was grouped into five clusters on the basis of various horticultural traits. The clustering pattern showed that the highest genotypes were recorded in cluster III (8 genotypes), followed by cluster V (5 genotypes), cluster IV (3 genotypes), cluster II (2 genotypes), and cluster I (2 genotypes). The greatest intra-cluster distance was recorded in Cluster IV (3.380), followed by Cluster III (3.219), Cluster II (3.104), and Cluster V (3.079). Cluster I have the smallest intra-cluster distance (2.182). The highest inter-cluster distance was 6.851 observed between Cluster IV and II, while the lowest was 3.139 between Cluster V and III. By the divergence analysis, the parents for hybridization for diverse clusters could be selected to harness the heterotic vigour’s and also to minimize the genetic erosion. The selection of the best genotype for breeding programs for the development of high-yielding varieties.

Assessment of genetic diversity for yield and yield contributing traits in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Thirty-three advanced breeding lines of peanut were evaluated during kharif, 2019 using Mahalanobis D2 statistics for 19 characters including physiological, yield and quality traits and were grouped into nine clusters, where cluster IV was the largest containing 11 genotypes followed by cluster III and II with 8 and 7 genotypes respectively. Highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster VII and IX (118.10) followed by cluster V and VI (113.29) and cluster V and IX (106.42), respectively. The maximum intra-cluster distance was observed in cluster IV (31.37) followed by cluster III (20.11) and II (13.17). Hundred kernel weight contributed maximum towards genetic divergence followed by sound mature kernel (%), specific leaf area at 45 DAS, oil content and plant height. The crosses viz., TCGS-2141 × TCGS-2117, Narayani × TCGS-1887, Narayani × TCGS-2117, Narayani × TCGS-2111 and TCGS-1887 × TCGS-2141 could be recommended to get desirable transgressive segregants for physiological, yield and quality traits.

Diversity of Ethiopian sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) germplasm for quantitative morphological traits

In Ethiopia sweet basil has been used for thousands of years as a culinary and medicinal herb. Although sweet basil is distributed widely throughout the county and boasts of centuries of cultivation and selection, the extent of morphological diversity is not well investigated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological variability of sweet basil using quantitative morphological traits. Forty-nine accessions of basil were used in a 7 × 7 simple lattice design. Except for flowering stem length, which was extremely significant (P<0.01), fresh leaf weight, and seed weight, all morphological variables were shown to be very highly significant (P<0.001) by analyses of variance. The first four principal components were able to explain 75.53% of the total variation. Cluster analyses based on quantitative traits revealed four distinct clusters. The first, second, third, and fourth clusters consisted of 2.04, 44.9, 48.98, and 4.08% of the accessions, respectively. The highest inter-cluster distance was recorded between cluster III and cluster IV (351.5). The minimum inter-cluster distance was noted between cluster II and cluster IV (87.21). The maximum and minimum intra-cluster distances were recorded within clusters IV (84.18) and I (0). The intra and inter-cluster distance ranges were 0 to 84.18 and 87.21 to 351.5, respectively. Thus, the current study reveals that Ethiopian basil germplasm exhibits substantial genetic variability for a variety of horticulturally significant features that might be used in future breeding and conservation initiatives to increase the yield of sweet basil's essential oils and herbal products.

Genetic Divergence for Grain Yield and Its Components in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): Experimental Investigation

The present investigation Comprises 34 advanced breeding lines including checks of bread wheat and experiment was conducted in a complete randomized block design with three replications at the research farm department of genetics and plant breeding, RVSKVV, B.M. College of Agriculture, Khandwa during Rabi season (November 2021 to April 2022) for estimation of the multivariate analysis of divergence. The advanced breeding lines were grouped into seven clusters. Cluster III contained the highest number of advanced breeding lines(12) and clusters V, VI, and VII contained the lowest (1 each). The inter-cluster distance in most cases was larger than the intra cluster distance which indicated that wider diversity is present among the advanced breeding lines of distant grouped. The highest intra cluster distance was observed in cluster IV revealed maximum genetic divergence among its constituents. The highest inter-cluster distance was found between cluster VI and VII and the lowest was between cluster V and VI. Highest cluster mean exhibited in cluster VII for most of the agro-morphological traits i.e. number of tillers/plant, spike length, spike weight, number of grain/spike followed by cluster II for grain filling period, days to maturity and plant height. On the basis of genetic diversity analysis, maximum percent contribution towards genetic divergence in 34 advanced breeding lines were found in grain filling period, days to maturity, number of grain/spike, days to 50% flowering, biological yield per plant and harvest index. Such differences in the genetic component of traits studied in the manuscript can be applied as a source of variation in other breeding programmes and crossing nurseries for wheat improvement.

GENETIC DIVERSITY IN TRADITIONAL LOCAL CULTIVAR OF JHUM RICE GENOTYPES OF BANGLADESH

The genetic diversity of seventeen indigenous jhum rice accessions collected from the BRRI gene bank was studied through Mahalanobis D2-statistics for grain yield and its contributing characters. The genotypes were grouped into three clusters. Cluster III contained the highest number of genotypes (10), while clusters I and II contained five and two genotypes, respectively. The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters II and III (14.408) and the lowest between clusters I and II(5.9). Genotypes of cluster III showed high genetic distances from all other clusters in terms of inter-cluster distance. The highest cluster means for number of effective tillers (11.34), longest panicle (25.41 cm), high panicle weight (3.45 g), grain per panicle, total spikelets per panicle, and grain yield were obtained from cluster II, whereas the lowest mean values for yield, plant height and grain breadth were found in cluster III. Cluster I contained the genotypes producing comparatively taller and earl maturing genotypes. Therefore, genotypes under cluster III and cluster I have enough potentiality to be used for backcrossing or as parents in a breeding program to produce desired recombinants with early maturity and high yield specific to jhum cultivating areas in Bangladesh.

Breeding implications of nodulation performance and root structure under natural inoculation for soil fertility enhancement and sustainable cowpea production

Nitrogen deficiency is the most limiting abiotic stress factor affecting the grain yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. Breeding for high-yielding potential in association with high nitrogen fixation performance is the principal objective of cowpea breeding programs to improve both the productivity and production of this orphan crop in the region. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to determine the diversity of genotypes for nodulation capacity in two environments and to understand the root architecture and morphology of genotypes as well as grain yield and yield-related traits in 324 cowpea genotypes. The experiment was conducted in two different environments during the 2017 cropping season. The experiments were laid out in 18 × 18 simple lattice design. Grain yield exhibited highly significant and positive genotypic correlations with stem diameter, basal root length of 1st whorls, basal root branching density, taproot length and adventitious root length, demonstrating that selection of cowpea genotypes based on these traits could be effective to capitalize on grain yield under low nitrogen conditions. Days to flowering, days to maturity, stem diameter, 1st whorl angle, basal root length of 1st whorls, basal root branching density, taproot length, adventitious root diameter and adventitious root length had significant and positive genotypic correlations with days to maturity. The first ten principal components (PC) explained 65.13% of the total variation. Stem diameter, taproot width, and taproot length traits were important contributors to the variability in the first PC. The highest inter-cluster distance (D2) was recorded between clusters III and IV. However, clusters II and V recorded the minimum inter-cluster distance (78.96 units). The range of intra-cluster distance was 24.22–5,112.92 units, indicating that the high genetic distance displayed within and between clusters has to be exploited via crossing and selecting the most divergent parents for future cowpea improvement. Five clusters of cowpea genotypes were evident, and within the clusters, the genotypes had good nodulation potential with high grain yield traits, which could significantly contribute to SSA food and nutritional security. Moreover, it can contribute to resilience and improve crop production and sustainability under marginal environmental conditions.

Genetic Variability Analysis and Association of Traits in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Landraces Collected from Ethiopia at Jimma

This study was conducted on one hundred common bean landraces at the Jimma Agricultural Research Center, Melko, with the objective of assessing genetic variability and association of traits in common bean landraces collected from different parts of Ethiopia. The experiment was laid out in a simple lattice design with two replications. Analysis of variance showed significant differences among genotypes for all traits. This highly significant difference indicates the existence of large variability among genotypes. High phenotypic coefficients of variation and genotypic coefficients of variation were obtained for plant height (19.43, 11.73), pod length (11.27, 10.69), and 100-seed weight (15.42, 12.74). High heritability in the broad sense was found for days to 50% flowering (66.98), days to 90% maturity (87.43), pod length (90.03), pod width (78.23), harvest index (98.67), and 100-seed weight (68.31). High genetic advance as a percentage of mean with high heritability was obtained for pod length, pod width, harvest index, and hundred seed weight. Grain yield had a positive and significant association with pod length (rp = 0.153 ∗ , rg = 0.282 ∗ ∗ ) and 100-seed weight (rp = 0.294 ∗ ∗ , rg = 0.492 ∗ ∗ ). Hundred seed weight exerted the highest positive direct effect (0.294) on grain yield at genotypic level. The D2 classified landraces into 7 clusters and one solitary, which makes them moderately divergent. The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between clusters VII and IV. The first five principal components with eigenvalues greater than one altogether explained about 79.56% of the total variation. In conclusion, the top high-yielding landraces, namely, P#1247, P#1092, P#1077, P#861, P#990, P#763, P#58, and P#857, should be included in the next breeding program. 100-seed weight had the highest direct effect and a positive significant association with grain yield. Thus, it should be considered as the selection criteria for further common bean yield improvement. However, the current result is merely indicative and cannot be used to draw definite conclusions. Therefore, the experiment should be replicated in different locations and seasons for greater consistency.

Genetic divergence analyses in tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) landraces based on morpho-agronomic traits

Tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) is a gluten-free cereal crop mainly grown in Ethiopia. Knowledge of the nature and magnitude of variation that exists in breeding materials is of great importance for effective breeding. This study was designed to assess the genetic divergence of tef landrace collections using quantitative and qualitative traits and to investigate the important trait in discriminating the tef landraces. The experiment was carried out at Adet Agricultural Research Center during the rainy season in 2019. Sixty-two landraces and two improved varieties were laid out in an 8×8 simple lattice design. Data were collected on 12 quantitative and three qualitative traits. The analysis of variance detected significant (P≤ 0.05) variation for panicle length and biomass yield, and highly significant (P≤ 0.01) differences among the tef landraces for the rest 10 traits, indicating the existence of appreciable genetic diversity that can be exploited in future tef breeding programs. Cluster analysis using the average linkage method grouped the 64 tef genotypes into four clusters. The highest inter-cluster distance was recorded between clusters III and IV; as a result, the tef genotypes from these clusters could be used as parents for future crossing programs. Principal components analysis revealed that the first four principal component axes accounted for 75.12% of the total variation among landraces, indicating that the traits considered were appropriate to detect the variation. The finding also demonstrated that grain yield, harvest index, days to heading, culm length and lodging index are higher contributors to the diversity of the tef landraces. These traits were most important in the discrimination of the landraces. Overall, the present study confirmed the presence of substantial diversity among the tef landraces.

Genetic Variability and Association of Traits in Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes in Gechi District, South West Ethiopia

Bread wheat is the world’s leading cereal grain, and more than one-third of the world’s population uses it as a staple food. The bread wheat production in Ethiopia is low compsssared to the national average yield, mainly due to the lack of high-yielding genotypes. This study was conducted during the 2019-2020 growing season to assess genetic variability and estimate the association of traits among bread wheat genotypes. The experiment consists of 49 bread wheat genotypes and is laid out in 7 × 7 simple lattice designs. The results showed significant differences ( p &lt; 0.01) among genotypes for most of the studied traits. Moderate genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) values were estimated for yield plant −1, thousand seed weight, and biomass yield. High heritability coupled with a high GAM was observed for thousand seed weight and yield plant –1. The grain yield showed a highly significant ( p &lt; 0.01) correlation with many yield-related traits at the phenotypic and genotypic levels. The biomass yield and the harvest index exerted the highest positive direct effect on grain yield at the genotypic level. The highest intercluster distance was observed between clusters I and IV (D2 = 31.86 ∗ ∗ ), followed by clusters II and IV (D2 = 29.21 ∗ ), and clusters II and III (D2 = 28.24 ∗ ), which indicated the chance of selecting a member of these clusters for hybridization. This experiment’s result indicates sufficient genetic variability among the tested genotypes, which provides ample scope for selecting superior and desired genotypes. Best-performed genotypes should be included in the future breeding program for further yield improvement. In conclusion, attention should be given to traits with moderate to high heritability and GAM, exerting a positive direct effect on the grain yield. However, the experiment should be repeated over locations and seasons to draw a definite conclusion.

Morpho-molecular genetic diversity and population structure analysis in garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) genotypes using simple sequence repeat markers.

Garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a self-pollinated plant species which played an important role for the foundation of modern genetics. Genetic diversity among 56 garden pea genotypes was assessed using 12 morphological descriptors, 19 quantitative traits and 8 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Eight morphological descriptors were found polymorphic, and highest Shannon diversity index was recorded for pod curvature (1.18). Mahalanobis D2 illustrating genetic divergence arranged 56 genotypes into six clusters, with the highest inter-cluster distance between clusters IV and VI (18.09). The average values of Na (number of alleles), Ne (effective number of alleles), I (Shannon's Information index), PIC (polymorphism information content), Ho (observed heterozygosity) and He (expected heterozygosity) were 3.13, 1.85, 0.71, 0.36, 0.002 and 0.41, respectively. Pair wise genetic distance among all pairs of the genotypes varied from 0.33 to 1.00 with an average of 0.76. Based on genetic distance, the genotypes were classified into two main clusters (A and B) by cluster analysis, whereas structure analysis divided the genotypes into four sub-populations. The SSR makers indicated that present of genetic variability among the studied genotypes. When, we compared the groups formed by agro-morphological and molecular data, no genotypes were observed, indicating that both stages of characterization are crucial for a better understanding of the genetic variability. Hybridization between genetically diverse genotypes can be exploited to expend the genetic variability and introduce new traits in the pea breeding program.

Determination of Genetic Divergence in Okra Genotypes [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench

The investigation was executed at Main Experimental Station, Department of Vegetable Science, Acharya Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Ayodhya during Kharif, 2019 in Randomized Block Design with three replications comprising thirty -six genotypes of okra collected from various sources to study the existence of genetic divergence among the germplasm by Mahalanobis D2 statistics. The germplasm was grouped into six clusters. Out of six clusters, cluster 1 contained maximum number of genotypes (22) followed by cluster VI (5), cluster II (3) and cluster III (2) Cluster IV (2) cluster V (2). The minimum intra cluster diversity was found for cluster III (8.39) and maximum intra-cluster distance was exhibited for cluster I (16.95). The highest inter-cluster distance was recorded between cluster I and III (30.83) preceded by cluster III and VI (30.15) and cluster 1 and V (24.89), it suggested that the genotypes of these two (cluster I and III) clusters are genetically very dissimilar to each other. The minimum inter-cluster distance was found between cluster IV and V (13.08) followed by cluster III and IV (14.24) and cluster II and IV (14.62). Highest per cent contribution in favour of total genetic diversity was showed by total fruit yields per plant (75.08%) followed by average fruit weight (12.38). Each clusters have higher mean values for different traits and the genotypes of cluster I followed by II and VI have more mean value for traits studies and deserve to be mentioned as important clusters of genotypes which could be use for further yield improvement plan of okra.