Genetic variability studies in chilli (Capsicum annum L.)

Abstract

A study was conducted to evaluate the nature and magnitude of genetic variability in 15 Chilli genotypes in a randomized block design with three replications. The analysis of variance revealed significant difference among 15 genotypes for all the character studied indicating the presence of sufficient variability in the studied material. Results revealed the presence of wide genetic variability. The genotypes were grouped into 5 clusters based on Mahalanobis D2 statistics using Torcher’s method. The clustering pattern of genotypes revealed that the genetic diversity was independent of the geographical diversity. Among the 5 clusters, maximum numbers of genotypes were found in cluster II, while clusters IV and V was found to be mono-genotypic. Among the 14 quantitative characters studied, number of seeds/fruits constituted a maximum of 26% contribution to the divergence, followed by fruit weight(g). Ranking of genotypes based on intra-cluster mean performance for these characters which are major contributors of genetic diversity revealed its usefulness in selecting parents for heterosis breeding.