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

Abstract

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.