Analysis of Genetic Diversity by D2-Statistics using Morpho-Physiological Traits of Late Sown Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The sixty-bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes were distributed among the seven clusters obtained using D2 statistics Euclidean distance method on the basis of observations taken on various morphological and physiological traits namely days to heading, days to anthesis, days to physiological maturity, grain filling duration, plant height, number of effective tillers, thousand grain weight, grain yield, chlorophyll fluorescence and canopy temperature. Results obtained revealed that the cluster IV had maximum number of genotypes i.e.,17 genotypes followed by cluster I (13 genotypes), Cluster IV (10 genotypes), cluster VII, II, III and VI (9, 5, 3 and 3 respectively). The highest inter cluster genetic distance existed between cluster I and VI (6.559) and the average intra cluster distance between the genotypes of cluster VII (3.817) was maximum. Therefore, genotypes in these clusters may be used to produce the superior hybrids and transgressive segregants. For grain yield and effective tillers had highest mean value in cluster VI. Cluster III had highest mean value for 1000-grain weight and lowest values for plant height indicating genotypes were short. Traits such as days to anthesis followed by canopy temperature, days to maturity, grain filling duration, chlorophyll fluorescence and grain yield per meter contributing a total of 68.1 per cent to the total divergence.