GENETIC DIVERGENCE ANALYSIS IN LENTIL (Leiss culinaries Medik.)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted with 35 lentil genotypes at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University experimental farm, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Dhaka, to study their diversity based on different morphological characteristics during November 2011 to March 2012. The objectives of the study were to identify divergent parents for hybridization program, to identify the characters contributing to genetic diversity, to assess the magnitude of genetic divergence in genotypes, association among the characters and their contribution to yield. The analysis of variance indicated significantly higher amount of variability among the genotypes for all the characters. Different multivariate analysis techniques were used to classi 35 lentil genotypes. Diversity was estimated by cluster distance. All the genotypes were grouped into five clusters. Principal Component Analysis, Cluster Analysis and Canonical Variate Analysis exhibited similar results. Significant variations were observed among the lentil genotypes for all the parameters under study. Cluster lii had the maximum (13) and cluster II had the minimum (1) number of genotypes. The highest intra-cluster distance was observed in cluster V followed by 1. The highest inter-cluster distance was observed between cluster II and IV and the lowest inter-cluster distance was found between the clusters Ill and IV. Considering genetic parameters high genotypic co-efficient of variation (GCV) was observed for number of primary and secondary branches. number of pods per plant, seeds per plant and yield per plant whereas days to 50 % flowering, and days to 100% flowering showed low GCV. In all cases, phenotypic variances were higher than the genotypic variance. Fligh heritability with low genetic advance in percent of mean was observed for days to 100% flowering, number of pods per plant, seeds per plant, and yield per plant which indicated that non-additive gene effects were involved for the expression of this character and selection for such trait might not be rewarding. High heritability with high genetic advance in percent of mean was observed for number of pods per plant and seeds per plant indicating that this trait was under additive gene control and selection for genetic improvement for this trait would be effective. Considering all the characters 01 (RARI MASOOR-l); 027 (BD-3827); 09 (BD-3805); G3 (BARI MASOOR-3): 014 (BD-381 1) can be selected for future breeding program.