Genetic divergence in coriander (icoriandrum sativum l.) genotypes

Abstract

Abstract : An experiment with fourteen coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) taking fourteen genotypes was conducted at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Gazipur during December 2007 to April 2008 to study the nature and magnitude of genetic divergence and identification of suitable genotypes for use in breeding program. Multivariate analysis was subjected to assess the genetic diversity and Mohalanobis' generalized distance (D2) was used to assess the divergence present among the genotypes. The 14 genotypes were grouped into three clusters. The cluster III had maximum genotypes (9) followed by 3 in cluster I and 2 in cluster II. The inter-cluster distances were greater than intra-cluster distances in all cases. The highest intra cluster distance was observed in cluster II and the lowest in cluster III. The maximum inter cluster distance was estimated between clusters I and III (16.470) followed by clusters I and II (16.372) and that of the lowest between clusters II and III. Cluster I recorded the highest mean for days to green plant harvest and to bolting stage, plant height at green plant harvest and at bolting age, leaves per plant, plant weight, foliage yield, plant height at 1st umbel unfolding and at seed harvest, days to seed harvest, umbel circumference, umbels per plant, days to 1st umbel unfolding and 1000-seed weight. Cluster III showed maximum primary and secondary branches per plant, seeds per umbel, seed yield both per plant and hectare. The plants of cluster I and cluster III were free from stem gall disease. Therefore, more emphasis should be given on cluster I for selecting genotypes as parents for crossing with the genotypes of cluster III which may produce new recombinants with desired traits.