Genetic divergence studies for yield, yield components and grain quality parameters in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract

Genetic divergence was assessed among 64 rice genotypes with 17 characters from different eco–geographical regions of India using Mahalanobis’s D2 analysis. The experimental materials were evaluated during kharif-2014 at Agricultural College Farm, Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh, India. The 64 rice genotypes were grouped in to nine clusters. Out of nine clusters, maximum number of 30 genotypes are in cluster I. Cluster III is the second largest with 11 genotypes followed by cluster II and V each with 9 genotypes. Cluster IV, VI, VII, VIII and IX possess one genotype each. The pattern of distribution of genotypes into various clusters was at random indicating that geographical and genetic diversity were not related. The pattern of group constellations indicated significant variability among the genotypes. Characters viz., head rice recovery, test weight, volume expansion ratio, milling percentage, number of grains per panicle, and protein percent together contributed 80% towards total divergence suggested that these characters should be taken into consideration while selecting parents for hybridization.

Keywords

• rice
• yield components
• quality parameter
• genetic divergence
• cluster