Genetic diversity analysis in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.)

Abstract

The genetic distance for 28 genotypes of durum wheat was estimated using Mahalanobis D²  statistic. The results showed adequate genetic diversity for all the traits among all possible pairs of genotypes with values ranging from 9.33 to 583.88. The results revealed that 28 genotypes were grouped into seven clusters. Cluster II was the largest cluster comprised 13 genotypes followed by cluster I with seven genotypes, while cluster III and V contained two and three genotypes, respectively. Cluster IV, VI and VII were solitary clusters. The maximum inter cluster distance appeared between clusters I and VI (D=21.0) followed by clusters I and IV (D=20.5) and clusters III and VII (D=20.2) which may serve as potential parents for hybridization programme. The genetic divergence had little to do with the geographic factor as noticed by the random distribution of genotypes into various clusters. Thousand grain weight, plant height and grain yield per plant were the major attributes governing the total genetic divergence (86%) in durum wheat.