Genetic diversity and response to selection for yield and component traits in selected F4 and F5 progenies of oat

The present study was planned to record the response to selection and extent of genetic diversity in selected F4 and F5 generation progenies, which were derived from seven crosses of oats. The F4 and F5 progenies were evaluated in randomized block design over three replications during Rabi, 2019-20 and Rabi, 2020-21, respectively at the Experimental Farm of Fodder Section, CSKHPKV, Palampur. The utmost response to selection was depicted by grain yield per plant, fresh fodder yield per plant, biological yield per plant, harvest index, leaves per plant and plant height in most of the crosses. Hence, improvement through selection could be based on these traits. PCA studies revealed that the first five components accounted for more than 80% of the total variance among the progenies. Four PC in F4 and five PC in F5 generation possess eigen values > 1. The first principal component, i.e., PC1 accounted for the maximum proportion of total variability in the set of all variables, i.e., 36.97% and 30.29% in both F4 and F5 generations, respectively. The dendrogram showed that 34 genotypes of oat were grouped into three clusters in F4 generation and 33 genotypes from F5 into eight clusters. On the basis of divergence and cluster mean studies, it was suggested that maximum heterosis and good recombinants could be obtained in crosses between progenies of clusters II and III from F4 generation and clusters I, V, VII from F5 generation.