2024, Vol. 7, Special Issue 7

author(s)
Mahesh Jarman, Animesh Chatterjee, Vinod Kumar and Yogendra Singh

abstract
Genetic divergence study on bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) consisted 12 genotypes of diverse sources and 45 F₁’s. The experiment was conducted at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Powarkheda, Narmadapuram (M.P.) in Rabi 2022-23 in Randomized Complete Block design in three replications. Standard package and practices were given to raise healthy crop. Results of analysis revealed their association into seven clusters. Approximate configurations of the clusters based on the D² values. According to Mahalanobis' D² statistic it can be concluded that, days to heading, days to maturity, plant height, peduncle length, effective tiller /plant, spike length, number of spike per plant, number of spikelets/spike, number of grains/spike,1000-grain weight, biological yield per plant, harvest index, and grain yield per plant contributed the most towards genetic diversity. 57 genotypes clustered into 7 distinct groups, indicating substantial genetic variation for breeding programs. Genotypes spread across most clusters, allowing selection of parents with complementary traits for hybridization. Cluster III ideal for breeding as it has the highest average grain yield. While Cluster IV valuable for breeding due to high average 1000-grain weight and number of grains/spikes. Cluster VI useful for breeding as it has the highest average number of tillers and spikelets. Large inter-cluster distances (VI-VII, IV-V) indicate significant genetic variation, perfect for breeding programs. Even within clusters (e.g., V), high maximum intra-cluster distances suggest good diversity for parent selection. Selecting parents from diverse clusters creates a broad spectrum of variability in offspring. This allows breeders to select the best combinations of traits for developing new and improved wheat varieties with enhanced yield, quality, and other characteristics.