Diversity Analysis of Advanced Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Derivatives

Abstract

Genetic diversity analysis of 130 advanced interspecific chickpea derivatives derived from four wide crosses (Cross I: PUSA 372 X ILWC 229, Cross II: PBG 5 X ILWC 229, Cross III: PBG 5 X ILWC 246 and Cross IV: BGD 72 X ILWC 246) was estimated at CSK HPKV, Research Sub-Station, Berthin, Bilaspur during rabi 2019-20. On the basis of Mahalanobis D²-statistics these interspecific derivatives along with 4 checks were grouped into 8 main clusters. Cluster I was the largest cluster among all having forty six derivatives. Maximum inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster IV and cluster VI and maximum intra cluster distance was showed by cluster IV. Therefore, a hybridization programme involving lines from cluster IV and cluster VI can be devised to yield desirable transgressive segregants. The principal component analysis, revealed that 75.27 per cent of total variation has been contributed by the first three principal components i.e., PC1 explained 45.15 per cent, PC2 explained 17.57 per cent and PC3 explained 12.55 per cent of total variation. The positive correlation between days to 50 per cent flowering, days to 75 per cent maturity, inter-node length and branches per plant as revealed by two-dimensional ordination bi-plot can be utilized effectively for the indirect selection of lines with early maturity and high yield.