Genetic Diversity in Farmers’ Varieties and Some Advanced Lines of Aromatic Rice (Oryza sativa L.) from West Bengal Roy Bidhan* Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Regional Research Station, Terai Zone, Pundibari, Cooch Behar-736165, West Bengal *Author for Correspondence: E-mail: bcroy10@yahoo.com
Online published on 15 February, 2014. Abstract The nature and magnitude of genetic diversity were estimated in 37 aromatic rice genotypes during the kharif (Aman) season under humid sub-tropic Terai Zone of West Bengal using Mahalanobis D2 statistics. The genotypes were grouped into 10 clusters. The pattern of distribution of genotypes into different cluster is random and independent of geographical origin or region of adoption. The relative divergence of each cluster from other clusters displayed higher order of divergence between cluster VIII and X followed by clusters VII and VIII, clusters IX and X, and clusters III and IX. Maximum intra-cluster distance was observed among the genotypes, viz., Pusa Basmati-1, KNS-3-1, KNS-2, KNS-5-1, Nunia in cluster X, indicating existence of wide genetic divergence among the constituent genotypes in it. Considerable variation in cluster mean values was observed for all the characters except seed thickness. Genotypes of clusters IX (KNS-6/2 and Chini Atap) and III [KNS-3-9(N) and KNS-2-1] exhibiting high seed yield may be directly used for adoption or in hybridization programme for yield improvement. Seed length, seed thickness, seed breadth, panicle length and seed yield were major contributing characters towards the total genetic divergence which may be used in selecting genetically diverse parents, particularly to exploit maximum heterosis or to execute efficient selection in highly segregating generations. Top Keywords Aromatic rice, Farmers’ varieties, Genetic diversity. Top |