GENETIC DIVERGENCE ANALYSIS OF COTTON (Gossypium hirsutum) FOR YIELD CONTRIBUTING CHARECTERS

Abstract

The field experiment was conducted in the experimental field of Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh during the period from August 2012 to April 2013 to study the genetic diversity of cotton inbred lines. In this research work, the seeds of 20 cotton genotypes were used viz. JAO8/A, JA08/B, JA08/C, JA08/D, JA08/E, JA08/9, JA054, JA0510, JA0526, BC0188,JA0541, BC073, BC0303, BC0342, BC0406, BC051, BC088, CB9, CB10, and CB11. The experiment was laid out in the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. Mean performance and divergence analysis were done on yield and yield contributing characters namely, days to 50% flowering, days to 50% ball splitting, number of vegetative branch, number of primary branch, number of secondary branch, node number of fruiting branch, ball number per plant, plant height, ball weight and yield. Days to ball splitting were significantly different ranging from 115.667 to 125.333 days. The lowest days (115.667) was needed for ball splitting in T17 line, and the highest days (125.333) was required in T8 line. The plant height was varied from 111.933 to 134.567. The tallest plant height (134.567) was recorded in Tl line where the shortest plant height was recorded from T19 line. Maximum branch number (20.333) was recorded in T6 line and the minimum branch number (17.467) was recorded in T18 line. The number of secondary branch was varied from 14.533 to 17.467. The maximum secondary branch number (17.467) was recorded in T14 line and the minimum secondary branch numbers (14.533) were recorded in T3 line. The number of balls were varied from 19.833 to 134.567. The highest balls per plant (134.567) found in T3 line and the lowest balls per plant (19.833) found in T18 line. The ball weight was varied from 4.333 to 6.867. The highest ball weight (6.867) found in T8 line and the lowest ball weight (4.333) found in T2 line. The seed cotton yield was varied from 2111 to 3740.667 kg/ha. The highest seed cotton yield (3740.667) found in T3 line and the lowest seed cotton yield (2111) found in T18 line. The number of vegetative branch was varied from 2.567 to 5.267. The maximum vegetative branch number (5.267) was recorded in T20 line and the minimum vegetative branch number (2.567) was recorded in T2 line. The number of node of fruiting branch was significantly varied from 5.2 to 7.333. The highest number of node of fruiting branch (7.333) found in T3 line and the lowest number of node of fruiting branch (5.2) found in T7 line.