STUDY ON GENETIC DIVERSITY IN BREAD WHEAT GENOTYPES

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Wheat Research Centre. Nashipur, Dinajpur with 29 wheat genotypes collected from International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Mexico including check variety BARI Gom 21 (Shatabdi) during 2010-2011 to study their variability and select parents for hybridization programme. There was significant variation for all the sixteen characters studied indicating the presence of considerable variations for selection. All the genotypes were earlier in heading than Shatabdi. Plant height, grain filling period, spike/meter’, 1000-grain weight, yield and harvest index exhibited high heritability associated with high genetic advance. These characters had also medium to high genotypic coefficient of variation and phenotypic coefficient of variation coupled with high to moderate heritability and genetic advance. So, selection on the basis of these characters will be highly effective. Eigen values of eleven principal axis and percentage of total variation revealed that first axis accounted 86.02% and first two axis 91.52% variation among the genotypes. Thirty genotypes were distributed into six clusters with one genotype in group IV tol0 genotype in group VI. Maturity days, grain/spike, 1000-grain weight, biomass harvest index and canopy temperature in reproductive stage had positive values in both vectors. So, these characters had the highest contribution towards the divergence. The yield character exerted maximum load (3.95t/ha) in cluster II] and minimum in (3.60t/ha) in cluster I to create genetic diversity. Considering diversity pattern and other agronomic performance, the genotypes, E6, E14 and E16 from cluster III and the genotypes E3, E4, E7, and E8 under cluster | may be used for fruitful improvement of yield and yield contributing characters in wheat.