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

Abstract

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.