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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
An investigation was carried out with 42 genotypes of rice to study the nature and magnitude of genetic divergence using Mahalanobis D2 statistics. Based on 12 morphological quantitative and quality characters namely, days to 50 per cent flowering, plant height, number of productive tillers per plant, panicle length, hundred grain weight, grain length, grain breadth, grain L/B ratio, kernel length, kernel breadth, kernel L/B ratio and grain yield per plant, these genotypes were grouped into six clusters. Cluster III with sixteen genotypes was the largest cluster followed by cluster VI with thirteen genotypes. Cluster I (7 genotypes), clusters II, IV and V comprised two genotypes each were also observed. Geographical origin was not found to be a good parameter of genetic divergence. The intra cluster distance was maximum (D=174.228) in cluster VI. The maximum inter cluster distance (D=230.709) was recorded between clusters II and VI. Cluster VI recorded highest mean value for hundred grain weight, kernel length, kernel L/B ratio and grain yield per plant. Grain yield per plant (46.69 per cent) followed by kernel length (18.28 per cent) and hundred grain weight (14.96 per cent) contributed maximum to total divergence. Hybridization among genotypes from II and VI which had maximum inter cluster distances and desirable values for quantitative and quality traits is likely to produce heterotic combinations and wide variability in segregating generations.