Genetic diversity analysis of black gram (Vigna mungo L.)

Abstract

Twenty two genotypes of black gram were used to study the nature and magnitude of genetic divergence using Mahalanobis’s D2 Statistics. The data for ten important quantitative traits were recorded. D2 analysis grouped 22 genotypes into five clusters. Cluster IV was largest with 10 followed by cluster V with 6 genotypes. The average intra-cluster distance between the genotypes was maximum for the cluster IV (49.2) and minimum for clusters I and II (1.00), respectively. The highest inter-cluster distance was noted between clusters I and II (16.77). The genotypes grouped in these clusters indicate their diverse nature. Number of branches per plant followed by biological yield per plant and plant height showed maximum per cent contribution towards total divergence among the genotypes. Ward cluster analysis grouped genotypes into two clusters, cluster I and II that were found apart at 25 rescaled values. The study provides scope for selection, further subsequent utility of the genotypes in future crop improvement programmes.